


Never Ending Night

by painfulprose



Series: Never Ending Night [1]
Category: Night In The Woods (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Themes, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Chapter Titles May Change, Cults, F/F, Graphic Description, Horror, M/M, MaeBea eventually, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Character Death, Murder, Mystery, Other, Post-Ending, Psychological Torture, Rating May Change, Self-Hatred, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Mae Borowski/Beatrice Santello, Suspense, Swearing, Tags May Change, Torture, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, suicide attempt that isn't really a suicide attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-14
Packaged: 2018-10-05 18:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 27,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10313951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/painfulprose/pseuds/painfulprose
Summary: Possum Springs- a quiet little former mining town out in the middle of nowhere. Few residents, poor economy, and just bustling with depression and feelings of hopelessness, it doesn't exactly sound like the place to expect to find an underground conspiracy surrounding the old mine hidden deep in the woods.But at the same time.... itisawfully strange how the residents seem to vanish without a trace. Not to mention the hooded figures that can be spotted after hours.After a while of an eerie lack of creepy and unexplained happenings, though, a small group of friends are tasked with uncovering yet another ultimate plan. But the question is: Can Mae Borowski put this Never Ending Night to a close?





	1. Crazy Fright, Crazy Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Puzzling, troubling, doubling pain  
> The story begins down the drain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited on August 22, 2017: I fixed a lot of Mae's semi-uncharacteristic and excessive swearing, and changed some sentences around to be more descriptive and clear. I also made it so Mae was joking about the suicide comment. I never intended Mae to ever be suicidal at any point in this fic- it just doesn't feel like her, y'know? Now it fits more seamlessly as a kind of running joke.

It's a cool, quiet night in Possum Springs. By this time at night, everyone's probably asleep. The birds are nestled up, all cozy in their trees. The squirrels right along there with them. People being moderately happy, at the very least, with their lives while being financially stable.

Well, okay, maybe not that last one. But the point is: It's a pretty decent autumn night. The moon is even out and casting pretty shadows on the walls from the window.

Normally, Mae would at least be feeling a little strand of tranquility. But tonight was different.

Tonight was wrong.

She sat on her makeshift bed in her parent's attic, hugging her knees and rocking back and forth. She wasn't seeing the empty shapes- not tonight. That wasn't the problem. If that was the problem then she'd at least be somewhat glad. Relieved, even.

At least she'd know what the hell's going on with her. 

Everything just feels... jittery? Like? The kind of buzz you get when you're drunk? She vaguely remembers that kind of feeling. It feels like... electricity running through you.

Except it doesn't hurt. Yeah. Electricity hurts. She knows how THAT feels, for sure. Really don't want to remember though.

Thankfully, in the corner of her eye sat her laptop. The internet... Truly an oasis of safety in these confusing and possibly dire times.

Forcing herself into action for the first time in, what, ten minutes at least? she decided to check her messenger. Unsurprisingly, everyone's offline. But right now, that's okay. It just feels like liquid coffee is running through her veins and that she has to be moving around and doing stuff right now.

. . . Wait crap coffee is already liquid. That internal sentence made no sense.

. . . Ah well. No one else heard it.

Tiny fingers trembling a bit from her unexplained burst of energy, she set to typing out erratic and rather random messages to her friends. Hopefully this wouldn't annoy them too much.

'hey guys i know no ones online right now but i just really feel like i need to type stuff' 

'oh god i just realized the time'

'hahaa it's like 11 wow this is pretty new'

'but hey woah you guys ever like get the feeling to like that you can like do whatever you want and it won't matter??'

'like okay i just kinda wanna climb something really high or like jump out a window'

'not like a wimpy little window like'

'like a real big window'

'like a height that could kill you if you hopped out of it'

She paused for a moment, her crazy and jazzed up mind drifting away from her. What is she SAYING? Maybe she's describing this odd feeling wrong. Jumping out of a window seems perfectly possible- she's done it before. Maybe she's bringing it up because it can be death-defying?

Yeah, that has to be it.

She can think clearly, so what gives? Well, no, actually, more than clearly. It's like her mind is running a hundred miles a minute. Trying to think back to the previous day to see if she had eaten anything loaded with sugar got her next to nothing. All she did was hang out with Gregg, Angus, and Bea. Band practice. Pizza for dinner.

It was a pretty good day, really. But she hadn't hyped herself up on sugar. And even if she had, it would have hit her hours ago, not at eleven at night. Right?

'mmmm pizza sounds rlly good right abt now' 

With that last note, she pushed her laptop away and stood up. Giving herself a good stretch, she crept around her room like some kinda weirdo cryptid. She couldn't ever really remember being this hyped up on much of anything, actually. Coffee is really gross if you don't water it down with a lot of sugar and cream. Yeah, the sugar could do it, but not like this, yeah?

Looking around her small section of the house, the gleam of the moonlight on her bass in the corner caught her attention. A swell of excitement rose in her chest as she crept over to it. It was impossible to stop herself from absently plucking at the strings. It made pleasant sounds when there's no background music practically drowning it out. Plus, it felt oddly good on her pads. And hey, with the band basically back together and practicing every now and then, she was getting much better!

She made grabby hands towards the bass, wanting to play it right then and there, but something else caught her interest. It was like her ears popping and the onset of the noises around her filling her previously air-filled head.

Someone was snoring rather loudly downstairs.

Ah, shoot. Dad. She can't play her bass when he's asleep. She'd wake him up.

. . . And all of Possum Springs.

. . . But. . . does it really matter. . .? 

She stared at the bass for a good long second or two, the temptation whittling away at what little self-control she had before eventually she yanked herself away from the shiny instrument.

Walking back around, she suddenly found herself face-to-face with two red glowing orbs in the dark. It scared her at first, but after a moment, the fear turned into two things.

Amusement and irritation. There was a fair share of both. Yet another confusing thing that she can add to the list of confusing things that she's experienced.

That she DEFINITELY has.

. . . That she'll DEFINITELY make.

Eventually.

"Heh. . . nightmare eyes. . ." 

Staring in a mirror certainly wasn't what she expected to be doing right now, but eh. What's the harm? Y'know. Aside from having to stare at her disgusting face and disgusting body.

Disgusting everything. Yup. That's Mae Borowski alright.

Flicking her ruined ear, she tore her gaze away from her nightmare face and looked over towards the window. The moon was still shining as bright as ever; though some clouds were approaching it rather quickly. 

The clouds vaguely reminded her of puffy mashed potatoes. Well. Puffy mashed potatoes if the potatoes were bad and gray. All moldy and mushy long before you even mashed them yourself.

That's... That's a gross mental image. That is one of the grossest things she's ever mentally conceived. Good job, Mae.

Wanting to take her mind off of moldy gross old people potatoes with all their insides spilling out into a fluffy creamy catastrophe, she walked over to her window and tried to see if it could open just a tad.

Of course, she could, but rather than just a tad, she opened it ALL the way. Why not, right? And hey, the cool air felt really nice on her skin. She was getting all sweaty and stuff under her fur. Gross times two.

When she actually took the time to appreciate them, the nights in Possum Springs really couldn't be topped. The crisp air was just right; it smelled like home. The sounds of the leaves scraping along on the road was practically ear candy. Even the smell was unbelievably pleasing. Being chilled to the bone had its own kind of charm to it.

Everything about it seemed to calm her down. Ease the fur that had been standing on end seemingly nonstop for the past half hour or so. Embarrassingly, she even felt herself begin to purr ever-so-slightly.

She could definitely fall asleep like this. Just leaning on the windowsill and listening to the beautiful sounds of a windy autumn night.

But then, of course she had to go and screw it all up by getting some freaking stupid intrusive thought. Unfortunately, that thought stuck, and it began to have sex with her stupid brain and make even more bad idea babies. Like little parasites, they ate away at her until she was forced to open her eyes and stare down at the ground all the way from the attic of her technically two story house.

'What if you jumped from there?' her mind inquired. 'You'd definitely die' was the next obvious thought, but it was then quickly followed by 'But what if you don't?' 

Before she knew it, she was getting all hyped again. Something in her just would not rest until she at least TRIED to jump out of this window. It made no sense. A part of her was mad about that. A part of her was screaming in dismay at how she was behaving tonight.

'Is there ever going to be a time in Mae Borowski's life where she's _normal_ and doesn't have a death wish?' the voice that she considers a form of her conscious asked.

And to that, she confidently replied with a 'Heck no'.

She hauled herself up to the windowsill and managed to sit on it at least. Arranging herself so she could kick her legs out of the window, she held onto the side and peered down once more.

The height was almost nauseating for some reason she couldn't quite place. But that made her wanna do it even more. It would most certainly lead to her death, but her mind was getting hazy by this point. It kept muddling up the warnings she was shouting at herself before eventually her brain was just shouting:

'Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it!' 

Talk about a complete one-eighty from the last time she mentally spoke to herself.

Woah, Mae? Mae??? Is that you up there???!! What're you doing?!

She began to shake. A small smile formed on her lips. But the strangest thing of all was that she felt tears fall down her face. She had no idea where they came from or why they were there, but the rush of doing something dangerous and stupid was already getting to her.

The other voice in the background was like white noise. Before she knew it, she was already hurtling towards the grass at a heart-stopping pace. 

And then she hit the ground. HARD.

 

"Dude!! Mae!! Mae, what the fffffffffUCK man??!?!" 

Huh. That's weird. She never remembered the grass being so rock hard before. And warm. On an autumn night, at least. And why did it keep. . . squirming?

The unexplainable energy high was already wearing off of her. Her ears were ringing and her eyes were watering, and on top of it all, she just wanted to collapse. Onto her bed. For like. Five years please.

Everything must be hurting about now. She has no idea. She's just... numb.

"MAE! Mae, come on dude, answer me!! A-Are you okay?!"

. . . Wait. . . She knows that voice. . . 

Through the obnoxiously loud ringing and the darkness threatening to sweep over her, Mae squinted and shakily lifted her head in an attempt to see what was going on around her.

At first, all she saw were blurry shapes. Lifeless objects.

Those damn lifeless objects. . . 

But it wasn't long before she was able to pull herself together (thank god) and start seeing actual solid things again. The first thing that caught her eye was the bright flash of orange that contrasted heavily with the surrounding gloomy area.

Wait, no, it's not just orange. It's fur. It's a person. And she isn't on the ground.

Well, she didn't HIT the ground. 

She hit GREGG.

. . . Gregg?? The heck is GREGG doing here at eleven thirty in the morning?! 

"MAE!!! Oh geeze, oh man- Mae, c'mon, say something!! I'm flipping my shit over here!!" 

"Guh... Mghhh.... Freakin'.... dizzy..." 

"MAE! Oh, thank GOD!! Fucking... Fucking Christ, Mae... You scared me half to death... Whoo... Oh man... Goddamn... Ohh, my heart's thumping." 

"M'sorry," she mumbled, forcing herself to roll off of her friend and onto the cold grass. And with that, her body screamed in silent protest. She must be aching. It's what she deserves for being a hecking _moron_ , though.

Gregg scrambled around on the ground, shuffling around to try and get a good look at the fallen mess that she was, probably. Heck if she knew what he was doing over there. 

She just stared up at the stars. Internally screaming and cursing at whatever cruel god there is or could be that they're awful at their job. Whatever that may be exactly.

It's only a matter of time before she crashes to go along with all this burning.

"Mae! Hey hey hey hey! No no don't fall asleep on me! Are you hurt did someone say something- hey!" Before she knew it, Gregg was gently shaking her, knocking her out of the stupor she didn't even know she was in.

Though her body get telling her to stay perfectly still all night, she pulled herself up into a sitting position- only to then be pulled into the worst dizzy spell she's ever had. It was like a million tiny hammers in her head that all just like... smashed into the inside of her skull at the exact same time; it hurt and it threw everything off.

"Woah! Hey hey hey hey, it's okay, I'm here I'm here. Dude. Dude. Bro. What's going on with you tonight???" 

". . . Gggghhhghghg-" 

"Mae I'm not joking please stop messing around and talk to me here I'm having a literal heart attack." 

"I don't... I don't even KNOW, man... Just... I just..."

"'You just'...?" 

"Like... I was trying to sleep, yeah?"

"Yeah??" 

"Yeah? And? I just kinda got... all jittery. And I started having like. Intrusive thoughts I think. And then I got the brilliant idea to jump out of my window." 

"Jesus Christ, Mae." 

"Tell me about it."

"Freaking- I thought you were trying to kill yourself, man!!!" 

"Eh. Now that I think about it, I might have been." 

"MAE!!!" 

"Joking, I'm _joking._ " She's never been suicidal, as far as she knows, really. And dying is not really something on her agenda for at least the next five years. People change, unfortunately, so who knows? "Well don't!!" Gregg snapped back the first chance he got. "It's not funny!!!" 

Gregg rearranged himself so he could pull Mae into a little hug while they continued their unexpected talk.

Mae accepted it without a second thought. The both of them were quiet for a bit, just sitting beneath the stars and enjoying each other's surprise company. Though, it wasn't long before Greggory spoke up again. 

"... What stuff were you thinking about, duder? Bad stuff? Good stuff?"

"Eh. Kinda bordering on bad stuff. I was just thinking about... everything that's happened since I came back home. Even things that happened at college. Random stuff. I wasn't even too upset thinking about it. The jitters just kinda happened without my say-so. And then I-I just kept getting increasingly... annoyed? "It's like I was thinking about everything, yet nothing at all. ... Emotions suck. Everything sucks." 

Gregg deliberates that all for a moment before giving a small nod. "Emotions suck. Big time. But not everything sucks equally."

"Fine. Everything sucks at different levels."

"Exactly." 

"At different levels for different people."

"Yeah!! That's a good way of looking at it!" 

Mae heaves a sigh as she heavily leans on her friend. She was just about fed up with feeling like crap for the day. It would be nice if she could just go to sleep and stay that way for a good couple of hours. 

Actually, it really wouldn't be too difficult to fall asleep out here. The grass, which felt weird and wet at first, was really soothing. The warmth of Gregg was enough to make up for the cold anyway. 

. . . But wait. . . 

She forced herself to pull away from her friend so she could get a better look at his face as she asked: "Wait, Gregg, dude, what are you doing here? Do you have any idea what time it is?" 

Gregg's ears flattened at that. He looked away from her and anxiously scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, yeah I do. But trust me! I wasn't just snooping around your house like a total creep! I was just taking a walk, my guy. I read your messages a little while ago and got kinda concerned, yeah. You sounded like you were totally smashed- which made zero sense if I know you. And I do.

"I just needed to get out of my house and think to myself, but I ended up coming over here anyway. I guess my subconscious was telling me to go see if you were alright or something, I dunno. But then that's when I saw you up at your window, dude! You were crying and stuff, but you were also smiling?? and looking at the ground. I got SUPER super concerned and jumped the fence!! Then soon after I tried to catch you, but you fell on top of me instead."

The sudden sound of the train in the distance rang in Mae's ears. She got a brief flash of... something in her vision. She couldn't quite decipher it at the time.

"Shoot man, I'm sorry. Are you okay?" 

"Yeah. I think you crushed one or two of my ribs with your fat ass, but aside from that I'm fine." 

"Shut up, Gregg." 

"Hehehe..." 

The two friends sat in silence for a while, just taking in the autumn night scenery; either because Mae was much too tired to move, or because Gregg just wanted to lounge around after such a scare.

Probably both. 

". . . Mae?" 

"Hmm?" 

"Do me a favor, and never do that again, please." 

"Noted. But hey, are you okay?" 

"Um. You already asked me that, dude." 

"MENTALLY okay. Does Angus know you're out here?" 

"Ah... Er... No. No, I don't think so. He's probably still asleep. I was kinda hoping to be in and out before long, so I should really get going- I have work tomorrow too." 

Mae shot Gregg a glance through narrowed eyes. She grabbed his hand in order to support herself enough to stand up. Gregg caught on quickly and helped to steady her as he rose to his own two feet.

". . . Did something happen between you two again?" Mae questioned a little uneasily. Despite the odd circumstances, she would always worry about her friends; especially Gregg. Ever since he opened up to her about his mood-swings and his fears of losing his boyfriend, she's been a bit more serious and a bit more open about his problems in general. 

Sometimes she catches herself acting a lot like Beatrice. Which is kind of a scary thought.

"Eh, nah. Nothing to do with my other half. Just... me problems."

"Those are the worst problems." 

"Tell me about it. I mean, I know how much I beat myself up inside, but today was especially bad with no real good reason. Kinda the usual, I guess. I felt like I needed to clear my head since I kept tossing and turning whenever I tried to sleep. Angus already caught me walking around our apartment with my head in my hands once tonight. I didn't want it to happen again, so I waited until he fell asleep and slipped out..." 

"Yikes." 

"The worst part is- I can't predict these things!!! It's so frustrating!!!!"

"That's rough, buddy. But hey, don't beat yourself up over it. Are you feeling any better now?"

"No. My best friend just jumped out of a window in a fake-out-suicide-attempt, and now she's locked out of her house." 

". . . Oh." 

Mae tilted her head back to look up at her window. Gregg wasn't entirely wrong, but she was pretty sure she could climb back up there somehow if she really had to. And though waking up dad so he could let her inside the easy way wouldn't be the absolute worst thing to do, she'd rather not have to explain herself about this fiasco of a night. 

"Don't sweat it, dude. You can crash at my place tonight if you want to. I'm sure Angus won't mind." 

"Eh... I mean, you'll have to explain all of this junk to him then, won't you?" 

"Mae. He's my boyfriend. I would have told him sooner or later."

"Huh. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of not telling him when you left?"

"No. It just means that I don't have to deal with it right now." 

". . . Gregg, you are a genius."

"I know, right??? Now come on. I'm so tired man. You can text your dad and let him know where you are so he doesn't flip and think you've gone missing again." 

"Gregg."

"I know, I know!! We're not talking about it, just saying!!" 

Semi-annoyed with her friend, but grateful for his presence, Mae allowed herself to be carefully dragged along over the fence and down the sidewalk. Tonight started out like shit, but Gregg always managed to make everything just a little bit better. 

Yeah. Everyone needs a Gregg in their lives. Definitely.


	2. Brownies and Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Friends are the strongest when you tie them together   
> Fate is the needle that chooses to keep them forever

Mae woke up to an intense air of confusion that quickly settled into relief and comfort. Normally she'd be at home and on her makeshift bed, but not tonight.  
After jumping out of the fucking window, Gregg practically insisted that she crash at his place. Since she didn't have a house key and her dad was not yet aware of his daughter trying to kill herself, it seemed like the best option. 

"Mmmm...." 

She's still exhausted- as usual. Even though those weird-ass dreams haven't been happening nearly as much lately, she's still been having unrelated nightmares. Weird things like drowning, or one of her friends being killed, or horrible flashbacks to college.

Oh, and how could she forget that pleasant little cult that she and her friends buried under a bunch of rubble? It was so pleasant, in fact, that she's been trying to act like it never even happened!

. . . It's not working out too great so far.

But hey, at least she had a normal dream for once in her life. She can't even remember what it was about, but that must be a good thing. Right now, not remembering seems like heaven. 

She reached over the edge of the couch and skimmed the floor for her phone. Gripping onto the cold device, she blinked a few times and glared at the screen. 

It's ten in the morning on your average autumn Monday. Mae had to turn her phone off and on just to make sure it was telling her the correct time. She's usually never awake this early. 

Before she could puzzle over this for too long, her phone vibrated, alerting her to the many messages she'd ignored through the night. Or morning. 

"Who the fuck..." 

Unlocking her phone, she found that she had a few messages from Gregg and Angus, and a few texts from her mom. The newest one was from her mom yet again.

Curious, she tilted her head to the side and decided to answer her mom first. 

'Honey are u ok?' 

'Mae sweetie pls answer' 

'Just checkin in cuz Greggory said that u wanted to stay at his place last night' 

Those were all sent at eight this morning- not counting the one she got just now which reads: 

'Mae please answer me your father is very worried' 

Oh geeze. She's lucky Aunt Mall Cop didn't come knocking on Gregg's door this morning. Well, she assumed that didn't happen. For all she knew she could have slept through it somehow.

She made sure to make her answer reassuring but brief so she could move onto her other messages. 

'yeah mom i'm fine sry, just wanted to see gregg last night. love u, be home whenever' 

With her mother's worries hopefully satiated, Mae sat up on the couch and gave a well-deserved stretch. She was really growing a liking to Gregg's couch. A part of her wished she could sleep there more often.

However, her body wasn't going to let her forget her stupid leap of faith, as much as she wanted to. Apparently, practically body-slamming someone isn't such a good idea. Huh. Who knew? 

Letting out a large yawn and fighting through the pain, she skimmed through Gregg's messages in a tired haze.

'hey man are you ok??? i'm at snack falcon all day' 

'come over and say hi if you're up to it!!' 

'i'm very sore!!!!' 

'sincerely, Greggory'

'P.S. i just realized we were both being weird and emotional at the same time' 

'we're connected brah' 

Well that made her smile. Leave it up to Gregg to brighten any mood- even while in a lot of pain from being crushed by her fat ass!

'holy shit' 

'that's deep man' 

'also you're welcome! thanks for everything dude!'

'oh and sorry for the experience with my ass'

'it thanks you for being soft tho' 

After that fuzzy little experience, she quickly scrolled through Angus's messages. 

'Good morning, Mae. I hope you're feeling better.' 

'You know where everything is, I presume.' 

'Also I baked you some brownies. Come say hi to me at work if you want to.' 

She didn't bother to give Angus a drawn-out reply. A simple 'thanks, big guy' would do the trick. 

Now that all of that was over, she could get on with her day and hope that it's less weird than the last. Pocketing her phone, she got up from the couch and had a look around the empty apartment. 

Almost at once she could detect the smell of those promised brownies from the kitchen. Not wanting to be nosy and snoop around too long, she decided to just go grab some for the road before going out to get some fresh air. Maybe that would do her some good. 

Despite possibly having awful bruises, she didn't want to stand still and waste the day away.

Making her way to the kitchen, she had to wonder how Angus kept this place so clean. At least, she assumed Angus did. Knowing Gregg like she does, it's hard to believe that he'd ever keep his living space THIS well kept. Then again, it's been a while since they've seen each other. People grow. People change. 

Poking her head into the kitchen rewarded with a small plate of those brownies, but also a note taped to the stove. The writing was neat, but it wavered here and there- like someone was in a rush but they still wanted it to be legible. 

'Hey, man! Angus made you some brownies, so if you're hungry, help yourself!! Just don't make a mess or something, please. Hope you slept well and everything!  
Sincerely, Greggory! (and Angus)' 

"Heh." Alright. Now she's CERTAIN she has to thank these guys somehow. 

. . . Maybe she can scrounge up enough money somewhere to buy them another box of brownie mix. That way they won't lose anything by giving her these! It'll be like this all never happened! 

It's the perfect plan!! 

. . . How much is brownie mix anyway?? Like?? A buck fifty? A buck fifty sounds good. That shouldn't be too hard to find on the ground around town. Four quarters make a dollar! 

She scarfed down some brownies while pondering their price, barely waiting to savor the store-boughtness in her intense hunger. Brownies might not be the best breakfast, but when life gives you lemons.

. . . That's how you use that saying, right? She's going to use it like that from now on. Screw whoever says otherwise!!

Just as she finished the plate her phone buzzed in her pocket. Hurriedly swallowing her food she rummaged around for her phone, anxious to see who'd texted her and why. 

As she should have suspected, it was just her mother replying to her last text. Mae only barely read the message before putting and leaving her phone in her pocket.

Now that all of her chores for the morning are done, she has absolutely no idea what to do. She could take a walk around town. ... No, scratch that. She WILL take a walk around town, but then what? Just go home? Man... It sucks that everyone has to work all the time... 

Screw work! Screw the system! She'll beat the shit out of the system! 

With a hammer! Because a hammer is the first thing she thought of! 

. . . Maybe she can find a hammer just laying around town. That'd be nice. Money and hammers. 

Welp. No time like the present, right? Gently sliding the plate into the sink (she's a polite apparently suicidal houseguest) she made her way back over to the couch to pull her boots on before heading out to the outside world. 

But she also may or may not have totally forgotten to check for some kind of key to maybe lock the door or something. Oh well- who's gonna wanna steal Gregg and Angus's stuff anyway? 

'Robbers, Mae. That's what robbers do,' her mind chided, causing her to pause in her tracks and give a drawn-out sigh. Her mind voice sounds a lot like a certain crocodile- whether that's good or bad is debatable. It's like having a second mom, though. 

"Fiiiiiine!" 

Giving into herself, she turned back around and at least attempted to look for a key to lock the door before she went out. Either she looked in all the wrong places, or there was no key to begin with, because she found absolutely nothing. 

"Thanks, brain! This was pointless! I'm gonna go now!" 

'You're talking to yourself, Mae. Only crazy people talk to themselves like you do.' 

"SHUSHERS. IT'S PERFECTLY NORMAL." 

The least she could do was close the door on her way out. Refusing to stick around any longer and deal with her own madness, Mae Borowski left the building to go about her day. Like a decently normal person.

 

Just as she'd suspected, there really wasn't too much to do today. She'd stopped by to see Greggory at the Snack Falcon. There wasn't too terribly much to talk about, but at least she got the chance to thank him yet again for all the help last night. And the brownies. Can't forget the brownies.

"Oh, don't thank me! Angus baked them! Aren't they the best??!" 

"Hell yeah! I'll be sure to go thank him then! Oh, also, before I forget, I couldn't find a key to lock your door, so if someone comes in and steals your stuff it's not my fault." 

"You serious??? I misplaced that key AGAIN?? Ah well. I'll worry about that when I get home. Thanks for the heads up." 

"No problem. Welp. Time to go say hi to Angus. Don't keel over from boredom during your shift dude." 

"GuuUUuuuuUUuuugh.... saaAAaaaAAve meeEEeeEee..." 

Her next stop was Video Outpost "Too" (that name still makes no sense whatsoever) to go give her proper thanks to the big guy himself. Since Angus is a pretty quiet person by default, the conversation really wasn't anything to write home about. 

"Hey, Angus." 

"M'lady." The lovable goof tipped his hat. 

"Thanks for the brownies! How has your day been so far?" 

"My pleasure! My day's mainly consisted of standing behind this counter and looking cool. You?" 

"Right on, right on. I've just been walking around town pretty aimlessly." 

"A righteous act. It's good that you're feeling better." 

"Yup! I guess I'll get back to that then. See you around!" 

Angus only responded with another tip of his hat. She decided not to mention the whole key thing. Gregg's probably gotten in trouble for that countless times already. The least she could do was give him a chance at an out.

The only person she'd left out from her daily rounds was Beatrice, but that wasn't intentional. She'd tried to go find her friend, but when she went to the shop, no one was there. It weirded her out so she didn't stay long enough for any investigations of any kind. 

If the store had been closed for the day then she would have assumed it was some holiday she was forgetting about, but then that also wouldn't make sense. Why would everyone else be at work except Bea? 

That's weird. Really weird. She decided to go looking into it once she got home, though. Maybe go have a chat with Selmers if possible then go see if anyone's home. The door should be unlocked, right?

While on her way down the sidewalk Mae looked for loose change- just as she promised herself she would. So far she's only found about three pennies and two dimes. That's, what? Twenty three cents? It's barely enough for some brownie mix, but it's something. 

Pocketing the change, she went up to Selmers' door and gave a few hard knocks. After about thirty seconds of waiting she knocked again. And again.

And again. 

She never got an answer. She thought that maybe her folks would answer the door, but they must be at work too. That's the second or third time Selmers hasn't answered her door. 

Flicking her ears uneasily, Mae slowly backed away from the door and turned to leave just as she heard a familiar voice call out to her. 

"Mae! There you are!" 

"ITWASN'TME," was Mae's immediate response, twirling around to come dangerously close to kissing Bea's nose. Upon realizing the semi-awkward situation, she blushed under her fur and took a quick step back towards the door to give Bea her space. 

"Jesus, Mae, it's just me. Were you doing something illegal?" 

"Wh- n-no! Not today, at least! You just scared the fudge outta me!" 

"Oh. Sorry." 

"It's okay! What're you doing here though?! You should be at work, right?!" 

"Why are you screaming all of your sentences." 

"Because I'm still in shock! Screaming is good for the soul!!" 

"Please stop." 

"Okay. Sorry. What did you need?" 

"You. I've been looking all over town for you for a good hour now." 

"Oh. Why? You didn't try to call me or something did you? Because I totally didn't hear anything."

"No, I didn't call you. I just never got the chance to talk to you after I heard about what happened last night. I felt guilty about being the only person who wasn't, uh... You know... There." 

"D'aaaaaww~" 

"No." 

"Beeaaatwiiiice~" 

"Stop." 

"You caaaaawe aboooouut meeee~!" 

"Goddammit." 

"Aww, BeeBee, you're blushing!" 

"No, I'm just out of breath. I've been walking around town for a while, you asshole." 

"Hahaha!" 

"It's not funny! Look, I was really concerned about your well-being, okay? And I... I took a day off. Or. I'm going to take the day off. I kinda rushed over here without really thinking it through." 

"Oh, so you mean you did the exact same thing I just did today with Gregg's apartment and left the door wide open for robbers to come on in and take all his shit?" 

". . . Yes." 

"You might wanna go take care of that." 

"I know, I will! I just- I panicked, okay?! I'm not even sure why now." 

". . . That feeling." 

"Mae."

"That feeling is called love, Beatrice." 

"Mae I swear I'm going to punch your lights out." 

"It's that tingly feeling in your chest and maybe crotch. It makes you do stupid things sometimes, but just like all those soap operas say, it's worth it." 

"Pf." 

"Oh my god." 

"I'm leaving now." 

"No oh my god you laughed- I MADE BEATRICE SANTELLO LAUGH" 

"I don't know you." 

"D'aaaaww, come back here you~!" 

"Help, police, I'm being chased by a lunatic who's trying to hug me!" 

Mae let out an elated little laugh as she chased after her bestie, allowing herself to forget about Selmers and the loose change and the horribly confusing night.

At least just for a little while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I had to rewrite this two times, but it's finally done! The length of each chapter will be inconsistent for the most part, but the main plot of this series will be revealed at the end of chapter three, so stay tuned, my friends!


	3. Not Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mystery key is received, and two girls share a night of fun   
> Posters displaying the deceived, this tale is coming undone

"Hey, wait! You can just like... close up shop whenever you want?? With no consequences??" 

"No, Mae. I do get consequences. It's like not going to school on a school day. If school made you money." 

Mae watched curiously as Beatrice locked the front door to The Ol' Pickaxe. This has to be the first time she's seen Bea shirk her work since she's been back- openly, at the very least. 

"What consequences? Don't you like, own the store now?"

"Basically but not really. I feel like we've had this conversation before." 

"Nope." 

"We must have." 

"If we did, that's gone from my memory. I've been pretty preoccupied lately, so maybe my brain had to make room and it got rid of things I figured weren't too terribly important. It's weird like that." 

". . . Sorry." 

"No, it's fine, it's my bad. But hey." 

"What?" 

"What consequences? 

"My dad. He's not going to be too happy to hear I closed up shop early. At least I was the only one here today, so maybe he'll be slightly less upset." 

"Man... You know what you can tell your dad?" 

". . . That I love and care about him and the business despite what it seems?" 

"Sure, but also that you're a living breathing person that also lost someone super important. He's not the only one that needs a break every once in a while." 

"... Woah. Mae. That's... That's actually really-" 

"And THEN tell him to go SCREEEEEW OFF!!" 

"Aaand there it is. Okay." 

"So, why exactly are you closing up again?" 

Beatrice looked off to the side at that, causing Mae to narrow her eyes. Everything about this situation feels so weird. It's almost unreal. 

"Are YOU the one doing something illegal, Beatrice?" 

"No! I figured it went without saying that I'm taking your advice for once!" 

Mae had to take a step back at that, now more confused than ever. She HAS to be dreaming, right? This is some weird little fantasy of hers somehow, right?? 

'Pinch yourself. That'll let you know if you're awake or not,' her mind offered. And she complied.

"Ouch!"

'Holy shit did you just do that in front of Bea. You absolute moron I meant discreetly.' 

Well NOW you tell me!! 

"You know. I want to argue my point, but it's honestly hilarious to watch you try to process this."

"I'm thoroughly shook!! What advice are you talking about, exactly?" 

"My room. I was being pissy." 

"Oh." 

"Yeah." Beatrice gives one last good look at the shop before huffing to herself and pulling out a cigarette. After lighting hers she offers one to Mae. "I think ONE uncalled for day off couldn't hurt. Much. I just feel kind of... I feel like a bad person." 

Mae instinctively took the cigarette without too much intention on using it. She doesn't smoke, nor does she want to. But alas, Bea's seemingly truthful words were pulling her in, making her pay more attention to them than the drug in her hands. 

"Bea, you're good. Insanely good." 

"Hm." 

"You ARE!" 

"Yeah. Meanwhile my best friend jumped out of a window in an assumed suicide attempt and I was the only one not there to help console her. Go me." 

"It wasn't a suicide attempt!!" 

"Gregg said-" 

"I KNOW what Gregg said," she actually hadn't been aware he used those exact words, "and I'm telling you he's wrong! I was wrong. Looking back on it, I was really confused last night. I was really upset. I don't know why, and I don't know how. 

"I think my brain just jumbled up everything into one big like, energy rush in an... attempt to like, help cope with it? I mean, I THOUGHT I was doing okay. I thought everything was going good after 'The Incident'." 

"The Incident We Shall Not Name?" 

"Yeah that one. But apparently I thought wrong. I'm messed up. I feel like I'm always going to be messed up. . . . And that's okay." 

"Is it?" 

"Yeah. I've realized that I beat myself up too much over dumb things I honestly can't control. And yeah, it's a habit that I probably won't get over 'just like that', but I'm trying, Beatrice. I'm trying so hard to... forget.

"It's really not easy."

". . ."

"You never really realize how much you repress until it explodes in your face like a week or two later." 

". . ."

"And guess what Beatrice." 

". . . Mae."

"It's a week or two later."

"Mae."

"What?" 

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd react like that."

"It's okay. Neither did I, really. Stuff happens." 

"I-"

"Moving on," she interrupted, "what are we gonna do today?" 

Bea paused at that, narrowing her eyes and casually tossing Mae her lighter.

"Who knows? I didn't really have anything planned. Just figured I should... be there for you more." 

"D'aaaaw~! Love you too, BeeBee!"

"Oh shut it. Did you have anything in mind?" 

"Hmm..." Mae stopped to ponder the question rather seriously. Of course, this wasn't her first hangout with Bea, but it was the first one where Bea took a day off JUST to spend time with HER.

It has to be PERFECT. 

But how? What spells out the perfect day for Beatrice Santello- the badass chick that is obviously way too cool for someone like her to be hanging out with? The chick that was the valedictorian of their class in high school? The chick that always manages to tough it out through everything bad in life despite being super unhappy?

. . . She's got it! 

"CRIMES!" 

"Um. Mae. No."

"MAE YES! It's perfect! We could go to the abandoned Food Donkey and kick around some stuff! Or we could try shoplifting again? It's really not so bad once you get used to it! Ooh, ooh! Or we could jump around on the rooftops! That one's not really a crime, but it's still fun! ... Wait, is it illegal to jump around on rooftops?"

Bea quickly holds up her hands to stifle the excitable cat, her expression stern. "Woah there, Mae, settle down. Firstly, I don't think it's illegal, but I'm definitely not going to do that. Secondly, shoplifting is bad, Mae. I refuse to do that again. God, I can't believe you got me to do that even once. Thirdly, I'm not doing crimes." 

"What? Why not? They're so much fun!" 

"For you, maybe."

"Oh come on! You can't say you didn't have fun that one time!" 

". . ."

"Yeah, that's right! So, hey, live a little. Trust me, it'll be great!

Bea uneasily takes the cigarette from her mouth and blows smoke directly into Mae's face. Mae, who hadn't been expecting it, begins to cough and choke on the vile stuff. She accidentally drops her cigarette in the process- which Bea picks up without a care in the world.

"How severe are we talking?" Beatrice questions with a sly grin.

"H-How dare-" Only the sound of wheezing agony can be heard for a good minute or so. She could swear she heard Bea snicker here and there. It was almost worth the secondhand smoking damage. 

Almost. 

"Geeze, It wasn't that bad, was it?" 

"N-NO! I-I'm perfectly f-fine!" 

"Mae-"

"SHUSH! YOU. ME. FOOD DONKEY. NOW. YOUR GOD HATH DECREED IT." 

"Okay, okay, sheesh. You better be okay with walking there and back. I'm not gonna waste gas on a trip like this." 

"Yes! Onward, you naive peon! Onward, to your DOOM!" Mae shouted enthusiastically, already running ahead of Bea in her own excitement. 

Just a day alone with Bea at the abandoned Food Donkey. Sure, there might be some weirdo teens down there or whatever, but still! What could be better?

 

The run-down building loomed over the two friends, casting eerie shadows in the evening light. The Food Donkey used to be the go-to place to get anything from groceries to your basic necessities only a year ago. It's hard to not miss something that's just so recently gone. 

There's always an air of nostalgia that seems to practically leak out of this place.

It was enough to put a giddy smile on Mae's face. 

"Geeze," Bea commented, flicking her used cigarette away from her person, "you're honestly that excited about an old abandoned store?" 

"Yeah yeah yeah! Oh man, I know it doesn't seem like much, but you could totally wreck up the place as much as you want and no one would even care! And sometimes you can find some cool stuff that people leave behind in the parking lot!"

"Like what?" 

"One time I found a spray paint can. It still had paint in it!" 

"Huh. So what exactly are you planning on doing in there? Isn't it locked and shit?" 

"Nah, the keys were left inside. As for what we're doing- no one's out here to care! We can do whatever the hell we want!"

Mae let out an electrified cheer as she bolted towards the Food Donkey. Man, she hasn't gone back inside the actual building since her outing with Gregg and Scriggins.

Gah, Scriggins... She hasn't seen him around since that either. That's kind of a good thing, if she's being honest. If there's any hope left for anyone in this town, Steve hopped a train or moved away. 

Good riddance, Steve. You weren't even helpful for getting the cannibal pig out of this place. She and Gregg did all the work. Naturally.

"CRIIMES!" she cried.

"CRIIIMES!" sang another voice soon after hers, causing her to come to a sudden halt out of shock. 

"What the-" 

"There," Bea explained, catching up with Mae and pointing a finger towards a broken window. For some reason, Mae hadn't even considered the possibility of seeing Germ around the Food Donkey. Even though he's almost always near the Food Donkey usually. 

Her memory must be failing her. Mae Borowski- the twenty year old old woman.

"Yo!" Germ shouted from the window, waving with that neutral expression of his that somehow always bordered on excited and friendly. Germ is weird, but Germ certainly is Germ. "I found a key!" 

"A key? I'm not surprised," Mae began, "since the old staff kinda just left their-" 

"Here!" Germ interrupted, tossing the once-silver, now rusted over, key towards her. 

Mae made a quick grab for it, but Beatrice was faster. Her friend swiped it out of the air and briefly inspected it before answering Mae's needy grabs towards the object. 

"Gimme gimmeee!!"

"Why are you so enthralled over a key?" 

Mae took the key and attempted to scrape some of the rust off. She had no luck, though. In retrospect, she wasn't too sure why she thought the key would have anything useful inscribed on it. 

"Because. A Germ gift is a special gift." 

"Word," Germ piped in, climbing out of the window and making his way towards the two friends. 

"Also now I get to go around trying to open locked doors with a mystery key." 

"Word," Germ repeated. 

"Where did you find the key?" Beatrice questioned.

"Around." 

"... Just. Around?" 

"Yeah." 

"Whatever," Mae cut in. "Thanks, Germ! I shall cherish the mystery key. I'd assume it opens something inside of the Food Donkey, but I didn't think there was anything left to unlock. So. Mystery key it shall be!" 

"Yep. Mystery key." 

"What were you doing inside of the Food Donkey? And- ugh! Why do you smell like glue??" Bea questioned further, scrunching up her nose in disgust and recoiling away from Germ.

"The Food Donkey smells like glue. 24/7." 

"Oh yeah. I probably should have mentioned that," Mae admitted a little absently, still staring down at the key. Finally she just pocketed it, unintentionally swishing around the loose change in her pocket.

Oh, why does she have loose change? Since when does she have mon- Oh. 

OH!! 

"AAAAAGH!!" 

"What?" 

Mae continued to scream at her own stupidity. She wasn't even really upset- just kind of unable to put her surprise into words as she remembered the delicious store-bought brownies that still have yet to be repaid. 

Germ began to scream along with her. 

Beatrice slapped a hand over Mae's mouth and gave Germ a harsh glance that shut him up almost immediately. 

"What are you screaming about?!" 

"Mmmphph! Mmmmmphphph!" 

Bea quickly removed her hand from Mae's face with a disgusted expression. 

"Salty."

"Did you just... Lick my hand??" 

"Yes. But that's besides the point. Does anyone have a buck fifty on them?"

"Why do you need a buck fifty?"

"Sounds like a drug deal," Germ threw in. "Mae owes some people money." 

"Well, Germ's not entirely wrong."

"Mae, what the actual fuck."

"No no, I'm just trying to repay Gregg and Angus for their brownies! With brownies!" 

"Brownies is totally a code word." 

"Germ shut it!" 

"Okay." 

"Wait wait wait," Bea put two of her fingers up to the bridge of her nose as if she had a migraine. That made Mae feel a little bad. "Just. Stop. Everyone. Let me get this straight. 

"Germ found a mystery key around the area."

"Yup," Germ confirmed. 

"The Food Donkey smells like glue for God knows what reason."

"Yes," Mae established. 

"And you licked my hand." 

"I lick a lot of things, Beatrice." 

"And you also need a buck fifty to repay Gregg and Angus." 

"Yes. Very much so. Do you have a buck fifty." 

"No. Not on my person."

"Crap."

"Welp. Good luck with that. Going home now," Germ stated, turning to walk, presumably, into the woods.

"Wait, Germ, do you have a buck fifty? Did you scrounge up anything in the Food Donkey?"

Germ swiftly turned his head to look at Mae, immediately engaging her in some kind of weird but intense staring contest. While it was unexpected, she gave it her all. Unfortunately, Germ is apparently the no blinking master. She barely lasted two minutes against him before her eyes began to sting and water. 

The moment she blinked he replied with: "Yeah. But it's mine now." 

"CRAP! Germ please!" 

It's no use. Germ has already run into the woods and vanished from sight, like the weirdo he is.

"Man..."

". . . Is it sad that I could honestly listen to that exchange all day and not get bored."

"Whatever. Let's just go inside already."

"I'm right behind you." 

Mae practically trudged up to the Food Donkey, having lost the majority of her enthusiasm from that little run-in with Germ. She's kinda forgotten why she thought it would be a good idea to come up here anyway. 

Finding the slight twinge of annoyance to have come out of nowhere, it began to boil and churn inside of her. Like milk being made into butter, her feelings were changing. She could feel it. 

She was getting angry.

Kicking the door of the Food Donkey wide open, she walked right on in and inhaled the musky smell of the glue to hopefully wane herself off of her anger high. She didn't like getting too angry if she could help it.

Everything's been really off lately, huh? Last night was obviously a mess, but today had started out so well! There's really nothing to be upset over, right? She got a cool key! 

"Stupid stupid stupid..." Grumbling under her breath she just began to kick some nearby bottles and rocks and junk around the filthy floor, almost completely forgetting about Bea; who was standing behind her rather awkwardly. 

"God, it stinks in here. How does anyone stand it?" 

"Dunno," Mae replied glumly. She gave the bottles one last good kick, sending them spiraling towards the wall. They didn't break, unfortunately, but it helped a little bit.

". . . Are you okay?"

"Yep. Food Donkey. Crimes. Whoo." 

"... This isn't about the money thing, is it?" 

"What?" Mae turned back around to glare at her friend. Irritably twitching her ears, she forced herself to take a deep breath and try to calm down. She wasn't so sure of what had gotten her so worked up, but it needed to stop.

Bea had skipped work just to hang out with her. Bea is worried about her. And she's just being a dick right now, isn't she? 

Plan, plan, gotta come up with a plan... Save the evening... Uhh...

Mae's hands trembled anxiously around her pockets as she skimmed the old store, desperately searching for something cool they could do together that would turn everything around.

"Mae?" 

"SCRIGGINS!!!" 

"... Sorry, what." 

"Scriggins and- and the cannibal pig! Cannibal pig all the way! We could do my son- WAIT NO, I mean we could- Uhhh..." 

"Mae." 

"NO NO, I'm not weird, I've got this!! There's debris everywhere, let's go throw it at some trees and have fun and be normal!" 

"Mae, calm down. You're genuinely starting to freak me out."

'Why are you being weird? This wasn't weird until you started being weird!' her inner voice tormented.

To that, she replied with: I don't know. I don't know! 

"We can leave if you want to, Mae." 

"B-But... Crimes..." 

Beatrice blinked a few times at that. After a few moments, she glanced over to a plank of wood and picked it up- treating it much like a bat. Walking over to one of the few perfectly good windows of the Food Donkey, she swung with all her might and shattered it. Glass flew everywhere, almost in slow motion as Mae stared in awe. Bea totally looked like some punk lead in a horror movie, about to go slay some zombies or some shit.

While Mae was still trying to process the action, Bea dropped the plank and walked back over to her. Taking Mae's hand, she began to lead the way back outside. 

"Crimes. Now let's go walk around outside some. I think the glue is getting to your head. It actually might be a health hazard at this point."

Mae didn't argue with that. She just let herself be pulled along with Beatrice, wanting to get some fresh air into her lungs. She'd been ignoring it, but the smell of the glue really was too much to handle when you noticed it. She could totally see someone just walking around in here and suddenly collapsing due to forgetting that you need clean air to survive.

The Food Donkey probably isn't a place anyone should go to anymore, actually.

 

Leaving the abandoned Food Donkey really turned the evening hangout around. Mae felt better almost at once being out in the crisp autumn air. It was like whatever sour mood that had briefly encompassed her was bound to that place. Like it couldn't effect her so long as she didn't go back. 

It was weird, but she'd rather not dwell on it. Bea didn't let her dwell on it. They just spent the majority of their evening walking and talking around town- like normal people. They took turns taking each other to random spots in Possum Springs and just talking about things they remember happening there in their youth.

It was a fun little game that even got Bea to smile and crack a joke more than once. Mae decided to continue it even while they sat on a bench. She'd pulled out her journal and pencil and just began scribbling the things she thought about. 

"The guy was SO mad! I didn't think stealing one little pierogi was a crime, but apparently it was enough to ban me from his joint." 

"Geeze." 

"Yeah. Good times. He has the best pretzels though! We should go sometime! You could just buy us both some pretzels- he'd never know!" 

"I'll think about it." 

"Oh, did I ever tell you about the one time I threw burning hot pierogis on Gregg's face?" 

"Nope." 

"Yeah! I have the worst aim when it comes to throwing food into someone's mouth," Mae chuckled, already attempting to furiously sketch a giant Gregg head that mercilessly devoured every pierogi in sight.

It wasn't hard to see that Bea was in much better spirits today. This was probably the happiest she'd seen Bea in a long time. Humming, smiling, actually paying attention to her stories. 

She wished Bea could be like this all the time. That would be nice. Really nice.

Even if her original outing idea was a bust, this is definitely one of the top ten moments of her life.

"Oh, Bea! Did I ever tell you-" Mae paused in her new story when Bea tore her gaze away from the journal. She tilted her head to the side, confused by the sudden lack of interest. 

She was about to say something about it, but when Bea moved to pick up a piece of paper that must have been fluttering about in the wind, it all made sense again.

"What'd you find, BeeBee?"

". . ." Beatrice didn't answer for a good long while. Every time Mae tried to move around to look at the paper, Bea pulled it away so it was just out of sight. "I'm not done reading it." 

"I didn't know you had to finish reading everything about something to talk about it." 

". . . It's Steve." 

"What? What's Steve? Who's Steve? ... Scriggins?? What about him?" 

Bea gave Mae a fearful glance that took her off guard. She found herself dropping the pencil before she even really fully processed what Beatrice was implying here. 

The pencil just continued on rolling down the sidewalk as Mae slowly, shakily, took the paper in her hands. 

'Steve Scriggins (20) of Possum Springs. Last seen on December 2nd by the train tracks-' 

She stopped reading there, unable to, completely unwilling, to comprehend this. Even though Steve is an awful person, she can't shake the feeling of déjà vu. 

She can't stop remembering Casey.

"N-No... Not... Not again..." 

"Mae," Bea called from her left. In her terrified stupor, she hadn't even realized that Beatrice had gotten up and walked over to the nearby billboard.

The world phased in and out. Mae could feel it. She could feel the awful headaches coming back. The days have been back and forth, back and forth. Happy, sad. Annoyed, happy. Angry, happy. Confused, happy. 

Nothing feels like it makes sense the way it should. She didn't realize the loud ringing in her ears right away. She didn't realize that Bea was holding onto her so she wouldn't fall over. 

She didn't realize that she'd stood up and went to stand beside her friend until she read the words 'missing' and 'Selma'.

She didn't realize that the world was falling apart until it all crashed onto her at once- leaving her with very little hopes of escape.


	4. The Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two shaken and two headstrong  
> Four head to where the night went wrong
> 
> March 1, 2018: I fixed the part where Angus mistakenly 'hit' Gregg, and changed it into something more better suiting the characters. I've been really unhappy about that scene for a while, now.

As the world swayed this way and that, she felt herself delve even more into the madness that she'd thought she'd managed to escape. Everything is just gone. It's all gone. Her head is pounding. Something is keeping her in place, but it's gone. It's gone.

Nothing exists anymore- nothing is real. 

She wants to throw up but nothing is real. 

She's digging her claws into whatever is keeping her standing, but it's okay.

Mae Borowski doesn't exist anymore.

She's just floating. Floating in this hell where the lifeless shapes go missing every second of every day and no one cares. No one's around to care. No one's around to feel obligated to care. 

Mae... Mae... Mae...! Mae. Mae! Mae! 

The chanting. The chanting just keeps getting louder and louder- the fake world is shifting. It's ending, oh god it's ending. Everything is ending and there's nothing she can do about it.

She's just an observer. An observer that watches the sad little lives of those shapes down below like some kind of god. 

In the end, we're all gods, aren't we? All controlling our own little lives. Impacting bigger ones.

Little boats in a vast, dark, unforgiving sea that goes on forever. Little boats that make big waves. Tsunamis. We can kill. We can create. We exist because we can, and we are because they aren't. 

That's the meaning of this all, isn't it? That's all there is.

All there ever was. 

"MAE!" 

"It's gone it's gone it's all gone Bea oh gOD it's goNE" 

"Mae, Mae calm down! Mae, just listen to my voice!" 

"Oh god Beatrice oh god oh god oh god I can't do this again Beatrice" 

"Mae, hey, calm down! Just- focus. I've got you. You're okay. We're all okay." 

"Oh god oh no-"

"Repeat after me. We're all okay. Say it." 

"W-We're... W-We're all okay..." 

"Again."

"W-We're all okay." 

"Good. Now focus. Think about this. Just because someone's missing, it doesn't mean-" 

"Just say it. We're both thinking it so just SAY IT."

". . ." 

"SAY IT, Beatrice!" Mae sobbed. She can handle this. She can handle having to deal with all this cult bullshit all over again if she has her friends behind her. 

But she just... She can't deal with it if they're not going to act like it's real. Like it's a problem and that it's back and that it's REAL. 

That it means something.

She tried to look back up at Selmers' missing poster to gather more details on the case. She tried to look past the first few words, but everything is still so horribly blurred. Her head feels like it's splitting apart. She's going to throw up. 

It's no use. It's all too much. It's too much of a contrast between her fun evening with Bea. It's just another reminder of why she'd been so afraid of the future and the unknown for the longest time.

It's just an awful reminder that no matter how good things seem, you're always running out of time. 

You're always running out of luck.

"J-Just say it..." 

Bea didn't respond as soon as she would have liked. Still, Mae continued to cling to her like a lifeline, not wanting to let go for a good long while. If she just held onto Bea then everything would be okay. Everything had to be okay. 

". . ." Bea still hesitated to say anything for a few moments longer. She just ran a comforting hand down Mae's back, smoothing over the fur under her shirt. It was the one good thing about this situation. 

"... Come on. Let's go. Come on, we have to go." 

"Wh-Where...??" 

"Gregg's apartment, we can hole up there and form a plan." 

Mae sniffed feebly, tightening her hold around Bea's waist. "B-But woooooork..." 

"Doesn't matter right now. Up," Bea replied in some kind of harsh whisper. Before Mae knew it, she was being hoisted up and carried on her friend's back. 

Mae held onto Bea and buried her head in her shoulder, not even marveling at the fact that Bea could pick her up so easily. She just wanted to sleep. Sleep and forget. Wake up and have this all be a nightmare.

Yeah. She just had to wake up.

Wake up, Mae. Wake up... 

 

Mae gently rocked back and forth on the couch, her small form leaning heavily against Beatrice. Gregg paced about his living room with his hands on his head, his eyes wide and frantic. Angus stood in place, his expression cold and closed off. The slight twitching of his left hand was the only indication of being aware of how serious the recent news was. 

"This is bad this is bad this is SO SO bad you guys," Gregg rambled beneath his breath. "I can't do this again guys I CAN'T. Shit shit shit shit fUCKING shiiiiiit-"

"Hon. Please. Calm down."

"Those bastards killed Casey!" Gregg countered back in a furious rasp of a shout that honestly sounded more like an animalistic growl. His body trembled and his face contorted into the pure definition of blind rage. The sight alone made Mae have to look away. 

"They KILLED. CASEY. Casey and countless other people that we probably knew!! We fuckin'"

"Hon," Angus warned again. Gregg ignored him and continued on without pause. 

"had Germ BLOW UP THE MINE!!! But nooooOOOoooOOOOoo!! Those sons of-" 

" _Hon,_ " Angus demanded, turning sharply and gently, yet steadily, placing his hands on Gregg's shoulders. 

Gregg, not exactly having been expecting his boyfriend to react to sternly. He didn't shake him off, but he didn't really look him in the eyes, either. 

"They _killed_ Casey," Gregg repeated, more quietly this time. With more hurt in his voice. It made Mae's heart ache; and likely Angus's, too. Soon, the two lovers were hugging it out.

"I know," Angus comforted with a few gentle strokes of the back of his boyfriend's head. "And now that means that we can avoid _becoming_ a Casey ourselves, hon."

Bea gave Mae a troubled glance as the rising storm in the room seemed to settle down. Out of fear of their neighbors or anyone nearby listening in, everyone had to try their best to be quiet unless having casual conversation. Unfortunately, everyone knows that Gregg is the one that almost always has trouble being quiet. 

'Someone is going to hear us in here, and then we're going to die,' Mae's mind sulked. 'No one is trustworthy. It was stupid to act like they were dead.

'It was stupid to think things could ever be normal again.'

"... Are we done flipping our shit?" Bea asks, diverting her attention to the two hugging boyfriends. 

"Yeah," Angus responds. Gregg feebly nods his head against Angus' chest.

"Alright. Now that I have your attention again, what does everyone propose we do?" 

Silence fell upon the four friends at once. They all looked back and forth to each other. Mae to Gregg, Gregg to Angus, Angus to Bea, Bea to Mae, and repeat. 

Eventually, Angus piped up. 

"I think we all need to think rationally about this for a hot minute." 

"W-What'd you have in mind, big guy?" Mae questioned, sitting up and trying to get her thoughts together. Bea still kept a hand on her shoulder. Just in case. 

"There is absolutely no way in hell that any of those guys survived. The cave-in sure, but we all went to check the mine the day after. That thing was destroyed. We're probably just all worrying over nothing. 

"Murder cult kidnappings aren't the only ways people go missing." 

Gregg flicked his ears anxiously. Biting his lip, he raised his head a little and shifted his attention to Mae. 

"W-Well... It was _Mae_ who even thought to go looking for ghosts and shit. Mae saw the kid get kidnapped at Harfest. Hell, if it weren't for Mae, we wouldn't have noticed the cult as soon as we did!" 

The silence returned for a beat before Bea and Angus unanimously added "Truuue." 

Mae cocked her head to the side, a skeptical glare crossing her face.

"What're you getting at here, exactly??" 

"I'm saying that if anyone can tell us if the cult is dead or not, it's _you!_ " 

Mae blinked in surprise. Bringing a paw up to her chin, she considered that for a moment. Nothing Gregg said was _wrong_ but... Can she really be trusted to decide something like that?

It's just like... a feeling. A feeling in the pit of her gut. Maybe her soul if that didn't sound so cliché.

She could have been overreacting... No one could really blame her, either. Everyone overreacted to _some_ degree, right? Maybe it's just... time to relax and look at this rationally. Just because Scriggins and Selmers are missing, it doesn't mean that the cult- 

Aaaand that's where her thoughts cut off. The world around her began to shake and blur. Tilt and spin. The colors melded together and the shapes became meaningless blobs. Her friends ceased to exist. 

In this world that only consisted of pain and that overwhelming fear, she was alone. 

Alone, but... surrounded. Surrounded by a presence. An entity- not a person. Not something she can see and reach out to. 

Something that can only be felt. Something that she can _hear._

Breathing. Breathing steadily, but also gasping. Gasping and clawing for air. Clawing, scraping. She can hear it. She can feel it. It's _POUNDING._ Pounding and thumping and _SCREAMING._

This is new. She doesn't like it. She doesn't like it. 

She doesn't like it!! 

"NO! No, get away from- GET AWAY FROM ME!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, kicking and struggling against the heavy weight pinning her down.

The fear. The paranoia. The lack of oxygen. It burned. It burned so bad. 

It lit the fire inside of her. Looking down at her own arms, she let out a horrified scream as she could only watch and stare as a glowing red _substance_ trailed down her skin. It seemed to match the shape of her veins underneath her fur. 

Beating. She could feel it beating. Like a heartbeat. A heartbeat separate to her own. Someone that isn't her is here. 

Someone is here with all of them. Someone is always here. 

They never go away. 

_They_ never went away.

" _Mae..._ " 

"N-No... No. G-Get away... You're... You're not real!" 

Her head feels like it's getting repeatedly run over by a three hundred ton truck.

" _Mae...!_ " 

Everything happened so fast. The blinding white light came too quickly. The last thing of that nightmare world she could see was an inky black beast rising from the snow white ground. At first, it just stared at her with its blank face. It intimidated her. 

_CRACK!_

It echoed through the white plane. It vibrated in her bones- into her very being. 

Something snapped. Something broke. 

And that creature glared at her with blood red eyes.

Heart racing, Mae curled up into a little ball on the couch, cowering in pure fear of what she'd just been subjected to. 

It made no sense. None of this made ANY sense. 

Why now? Why again? What IS this?! _Why won't it go AWAY?!_

Several pairs of careful hands gave her comforting pats and pets. Gentle loving hugs. Some concerned but cautious shakes. 

All she was able to reply with was a choked up sob.

And a verdict. 

" _W-We need to visit the mine again._ " 

No one argued.

 

Mae trudged warily through the grass, her hands wrapped around herself both for protection, and because of the fact that it is freaking cold outside. Fall technically ended a while ago, but Possum Springs hasn't seen any snow aside from the one flurry at the beginning of the month. 

Only now are the trees beginning to lose their leaves and the air becoming numbingly cool. Even so, she wore her signature outfit, having been too distracted by the daunting task at hand to change before they left. 

She led the party. Despite having two mental breakdowns in one day and her head still being in pieces, she's leading this little investigation. It was her idea anyway. 

Still, her friends won't let her forget that she isn't some invincible machine that can defend herself. Because obviously she's not. 

Gregg flanked her on her right, wielding his shiny new crossbow. Angus on her left, seemingly endlessly cracking his knuckles. Bea leading up front with her, rolling up the sleeves to her dress to reveal her thin but fit biceps.

No one knew what exactly to expect, so they were trying to be prepared for anything with what little they had on such short notice. 

If she forgot about just where they were headed, at least for a moment, Mae had to admit. Everyone with her like this made her feel pretty powerful. 

"So," Bea began, "what's the plan? I mean, I know we're just going to check out what little we actually can, but are you sure you didn't see anything more... specific?" 

Mae shook her head. 

"N-No... The God Monster wasn't too clear. They didn't even say anything to me. They just sounded... Scared and... distressed. B-But that makes no sense if it's telling us to go to the mine! ... Which is making me think it's not a God Monster I was hearing..." 

". . . The goat guy?" Gregg offered, shooting Mae a furtive glance. 

Mae reluctantly and hesitantly nodded. 

"The goat guy." 

"I just want to say," Angus joined in after a few good minutes of silent walking, "that I think you're still badly overreacting about the missing person cases, Mae. Walking out here to check out that damn mine again probably isn't the best thing we should be doing right now." 

Mae actually paused at that. She turned to stare at Angus, more curious than anything else. 

"If I'm overreacting and I just... _imagined_ all of that, then what _should_ we be doing?" 

"Maybe getting you some professional help." 

Now THAT had Mae's hackles raised. 

"I'm not crazy, okay?! Look- I know this is all stupid. It's really, REALLY stupid. ... But it's also really sad. Even if you don't believe in the God Monsters and my visions and dreams, that's fine. I've just been winging everything this whole time. I still am. I have to trust myself on this. 

"But you _can't_ stand there and tell me that the murder cult isn't real and isn't a problem. We need to know if they're still alive or not, Angus. That's exactly what we're doing. Just being cautious." 

Gregg and Bea nodded, moving closer towards Mae so they could each place a hand on her shoulders.

Angus raised his paws defensively, his expression becoming soft. 

"I know, I know. I understand where you're coming from. If I disagreed with this entirely, I would have tried to talk you out of it. But I didn't. 

"I'm just trying to say that I'm worried, Mae. You're still shaking." 

Mae had no choice but to admit that Angus was right. She felt like her knees would buckle and give out any minute now. But even so, they had to keep moving. 

They were almost there. 

"Babe, come on! Yeah, Mae _did_ alert our neighbors and make them have to come over and make sure she wasn't being murdered or whatever thanks to her super loud and annoying screaming-"

"Hey!" Mae huffed, lightly punching Gregg in the arm.

"BUT! It's _Mae._ If she can survive almost being killed repeatedly, then she can survive a little hike up to a blown up murder mine." 

"I second that," Bea agreed, sending a crooked smile Mae's way.

Angus was quiet for a bit, looking at Gregg and Bea before settling on Mae. He gave a small sigh and a tiny step forward. 

"Fine. But if you collapse I'm carrying you to and from the mine and that's final."

Mae gave a smug smile at that, walking over and giving Angus a quick hug. 

"You've got it, big guy." 

Everyone feeling content with the turn of events thus far, they continued on their way down to the clearing. Though she was putting up a front, Mae had to admit that she was scared of seeing that mine again. 

Germ had done a number on it, that's for sure. He'd be here right now if he weren't so elusive; no one could really find him, nor did they have the time to when she and Bea went to gather them up. Wherever he got the dynamite, it was good dynamite. 

All that remained of the mine now was a pile of wood and rubble that vaguely reminded her of a mine entrance. Broken. A shell of what it once was. 

Empty. 

One would have to move tons of debris to even be able to peer down into the hole, but she couldn't bring herself to even go near it. The energies around it made the fur on the back of her neck stand on end. 

Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for a thorough search of the area- trying to prepare herself for any sickening mysteries left behind to be unearthed and deciphered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things finally start to get good~ But seriously, man am I proud of this one! Hope you guys enjoy! Chapter 5 is the one where I'm stuck at, though, so expect it to take a little longer than the previous ones. Sorry!


	5. Praying to God

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So insanity grips her without much delay   
> And insanity is comforting, so insanity shall stay 
> 
> Gods abused and bemused   
> It lurks where the dead come to pray

Gold streaked through the leaves and left patches of liquid light on the dying grass. It was a beautiful contrast against the fading orange sky. Even the silhouettes of the birds off in the distance just added to the fact that the world is going on normally. 

Peacefully, even. There are people on this earth that have absolutely zero knowledge of any of the hell she and this town are going through. Zero knowledge of any cult of dads that kidnap people and throw them down a hole just to gain false hope. 

Well, no, not just down a hole. The victims go down a hole, and feed _him._

The Black Goat. The Black Goat's been there for years. Years trapped in a hole under that mine.

The mine. Everything about the mine is just screaming for her to stay as far away from it as possible. Even looking at it just made her fur stand on end. He's down there, and he's not too happy that his home is being disturbed. 

"Gugh... Maybe... Maybe coming here was a mistake..." Mae muttered, lowering her ears and diverting her attention to Bea. "What do you think, BeeBee?" 

"Who knows?" Bea shrugged. "I wasn't really expecting to find anything up here. I was thinking of trying to find a way down," she paused and jerked her snout towards the remains of the mine, "there." 

"All we'll find are corpses. It's been weeks," Angus reasons. "Besides, that's about three hundred pounds of rubble. If we actually took the time to move all that, it'd be past midnight." 

"Yeah guys," Gregg agreed. "And we'd definitely be feeling _that_ in the morning! You know I believe you dude, but you have to admit, there's nothing up here."

"Obviously," Bea scoffed, crossing her arms and shooting Gregg and Angus a glance. "I was just kind of making a statement that actually makes sense. I mean, what's the logic in even looking around the woods when we know they couldn't have escaped?" 

Angus nods at that while Gregg walks over and begins to repeatedly kick a small boulder nearby. 

"There are no spooky cult members up here! Not anymore thanks to the superheroes of Possum Springs!! WHOO!!!" 

"And Germ," Angus adds with a hint of humor. 

"And Germ," Gregg and Bea repeat; Bea adding her own little unenthusiastic whoop.

Mae's ears twitched in her growing annoyance with her friends. Something big is happening; something dangerous is _coming,_ and they're not taking this seriously. 

'Why _should_ they take you seriously? You saw some missing posters. You jumped to conclusions. You freaked out', her mind insisted. 

That isn't true, though! Steve isn't too much of a surprise, she supposed, but that doesn't explain Selmers! Who would have it out for SELMERS?! And that doesn't even explain the horrible headaches and her nightmare visions coming back! 

And getting WORSE on top of that!! 

'Panic attacks'. 

She's had panic attacks. _Those were not panic attacks._

'Even if this is all true and the cult really did survive, all you've managed to do is lure all of your friends out to their old hideout unarmed'. 

Gregg has a crossbow! 

'And they have guns'. 

. . . CRAP! 

Mae cradled her head in her hands, beyond frustrated with her own stupidity. If anything bad happens up here it's all her fault... They're up here because she freaked out and its all her fault... 

They should just leave. Gregg and Bea and Angus, they... They have _lives._ They can't keep humoring her anxieties. Despite what this all seems like, the cult can't be back. They just _can't_ be. 

. . . Wait. . . !

"The Goat..." she moaned, her dawning realization feeling like a hard slap in the face. 

"What?" three voices answered back. Mae didn't look at any of her friends. Her attention is now being focused on the mine. 

"The cult... The cult is gone... Oh god they're gone..." 

"Mae?" Gregg gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Mae, the cult being gone is a... _good_ thing, right??" 

"Oh god, no... No no no no, they're _gone..._ but _he's_ still here... I can _HEAR_ him...!" 

"Who?" Angus hissed, tensing as if in anticipation of an attack.

Mae just shook her head, watching helplessly as the ground broke apart beneath her feet. The cracks flowed from the mine, pouring out like a stream of destruction. Glowing red cracks crawling under her feet- appearing and vanishing with the thump of her heartbeat. 

A crushing wave of dizziness swept over her, and with it, exhilaration. She could hear the desperate clawing and scraping. She felt it like vibrations under the ground. 

Her body trembled. With fear? With dread? With anger? 

. . . With excitement. . . ?

"Mae!! Who?!? Who's here???" Gregg shouted in her ear, shaking her so intensely that she felt like she was going to fall over.

This is all so stupid. So. Effing. _STUPID!_

Why can't The Goat just go and leave them all alone?! Why did they even have to get involved in this? Bea and Gregg and Angus are good people! They contribute to the town! 

So did Selmers... Steve... Well, he said he worked with his brother's construction crew or whatever, right? So technically he _helped,_ but that can't outweigh the bad he's done, can it? 

What is the connection? There has to be a _REASON!_

Somewhere inside of herself, a tiny voice gave her the answer that she might have been trying to avoid. The answer she'd been afraid of since nearly day one of coming back home. 

'You. You're the connection. Everyone who's gone missing since you came back got involved because you dragged them into it'. 

But... But that makes no sense! A lot of the people who went missing before she came back were total strangers! ... Most likely, anyway! 

'They're long dead, though. That's in the past. This is happening right now'.

No...

'You've come meddling into your friends' lives and you ruined them. Just like the screw up you were born to be. The latest failure in the long line of failures that are the Borowskis'. 

Shut up. Shut up! 

' _Face it. You were born to be a parasite._ ' 

" _SHUT UP!! GET OUT OF MY HEAD, GODDAMMIT!_ " Mae shrieked, the pent up rage and aggression now making itself known in the worst way possible. She pushed Gregg away, barely thinking about anything but the FREAKING mine.

"I KNOW IT'S _YOU!_ " she continued to shout. Her body- her entire being felt absolutely jazzed with energy. It felt sickeningly familiar, but she couldn't quite name it. 

"M-Mae???!" Gregg wailed fearfully from his place on the grass; Angus by his side helping him up. 

Bea ran over to Mae and attempted to restrain the suddenly manic cat, but Mae was barely paying attention to anything anyone was saying. All that mattered was getting down into that mine again. 

_She HAS to get down there._

"COME OUT HERE YOU FUCKING _COWARD!_ " she violently demanded, scrabbling towards the rubble to attempt to claw her way down there and end this madness. She thought she'd made her peace with the beast, but apparently not. She has to find out what she'd done wrong. 

Strong arms held her back. She kicked and struggled, spitting and biting. She tried everything under the sun to get to that demon. 

Figuring out quickly that she would be getting nowhere with Bea being such a nuisance, she let out a strangled scream. An anguished and chilling cry that only warranted her captor to tighten their hold on her. 

Mae just continued to scream and scream, not even caring if she destroyed her throat in the process. Maybe if she screamed enough, The Goat would finally leave everyone alone. 

And then everything would be okay. Everyone would be okay.

 

It wasn't until the sun rose up high above the sky that Mae awoke. The warm rays washed over her, causing her to give a pleasant stretch and roll over in her bed. 

Her throat ached and she felt like she just came off of a sugar high. She felt like she'd just ran a mile and then some. What even happened last night? 

She couldn't remember. The pieces to the puzzle were blurry and some of them were even missing. They left behind large gaps in her brain, tormenting her over the mystery of her shitty awakening. 

Was it just one of those weird dreams that she couldn't remember? The lucid dreams always left her feeling unrested, so why couldn't it be just that? 

But that hardly explains why her throat feels like its on fire. Was she screaming in her sleep? Geeze. Some nightmare. 

Reluctantly, Mae sat up on her bed in her parents' attic. She didn't bother to reach for her boots or stand up, though. Not today. After that hell of a dream, she deserved a day of rest and relaxation.

Besides, she just wants to curl up into a hole and- ACK. Bad wording. Bad thought, Mae.

She went to yawn, but found that even that caused her eyes to prick with tears. God that hurts... It really feels like something more is going on here, but there's no way she just went around... screaming at things. 

Right. . . ? 

Uneasy now, Mae tentatively reached over to open her laptop, dreading what she'd find if her suspicions were correct. How many of her friends knew about this? If any? 

A cold hard pit of consternation hit her stomach like a bullet at seeing messages from Bea and Gregg. Angus didn't send her anything today. Normally this would be a typical occurrence, but right now...

Paw shaking, she reached over and trailed her mouse over to Bea's icon. Clicking it got messages that only added to the frustrating mystery. 

'Hey... You okay?' 

'Yesterday was pretty wild'

'Yeah.'

'Anyway, you know the drill' 

'Come say hi sometime please'

Mae's ears twitched at the revelation. Something happened last night, huh? And she couldn't remember it? Why? 

Had there been a crazy party or something? Did she get drunk again? This didn't feel anything like a hangover, though... Did she get drugged up? 

Shaking her head, she frowned and moved onto Gregg's messages. 

'hey man... u ok??' 

'i'm pretty worried rn dude' 

'snalconing and ur totally allowed to come in an take whatever okay???' 

'Sincerely, Greggory' 

'P.S. hope you feel better!'

Mae didn't allow herself the time to think about the connotations behind those words. She just closed her laptop and pushed it off to the side for now.

If she ignores it for long enough there's a small chance that it might go away. She's gonna take that chance. 

Wrapping her arms around her knees, Mae forced herself to give a long sigh. If she waits this out, everything will _have_ to be okay. Eventually, anyway. 

'That's horrible logic,' she heard herself chime rather annoyingly. 

Okay, look, brain. Just let me be lazy right now. Please? 

'You're not even going to let your friends know you're alright?' 

_I_ don't even know if I'm alright! 

'You're alive. That's good enough. Besides, they certainly seem to know something you don't.' 

. . . 

'Don't you want to know what that is?' 

But... Laptop... So far away... 

'Oh my god.' 

My everything huuuurrtss!! 

'Are you seriously going to do this to yourself.' 

_Which side are you on here, me?_

"Mae, honey?"

Mae jolted with a pained hiss, not having expected anyone to come up and check on her. What time is it, even? Knowing her it's probably like four in the afternoon or something. 

"Y-Yeah, mom?" she croaked in reply, trying her best to smile at her mother as she appeared in the doorway.

Neither of them really expected it to work, she was sure. 

"Mae, are you alright? You sound like you haven't even HEARD of water for months!" 

"U-Uh... Y-Yeah, yeah, I'm fi-fine. Think I'm coming do-down with something. Could be contagious." 

"Mae..." The way mom's voice trailed off grabbed Mae's attention- and not in a good way.

She could see on her mother's face that something was wrong. Seriously wrong. Her ears were sharply flicked back and her expression... it was nearly unreadable.

Mae gulped. It hurt. 

". . . Wh-What's up, mom?" 

"Well, sweetie, I was just kind of hoping you would join your father and me for brunch." 

Mae tilted her head to the side. Even doing _that_ caused her to wince. "Er... Wh-What happened to breakfast? A-And lunch?" 

"We combined 'em, hun. Just a little something special for you since you aren't feeling well. Something special for my special girl." 

Well, _that_ raised some red flags in Mae's head. Brunch is pretty hard to refuse- especially considering how hungry she is right now, but this is kinda coming out of left field. 

What time is it, anyway? Probably early enough for breakfast but late enough to be past breakfast, but still. She just woke up. 

How could mom have had this special brunch planned from the moment she woke up when yesterday was pretty okay? At least, as far as mom knows. 

. . . Hopefully.

"... Mom, you're a-acting kinda strange..." 

"We made tacos." 

Almost immediately Mae raised her aching arms up into the air in her excitement; all of that previous suspicion and concern being tossed out of the window.

" _Give. Me. All of it._ " 

 

Mae sat at the kitchen table, happily munching away at her third taco. Despite how crappy her morning started out and how awful her throat still feels, tacos will _always_ cheer her up.

No exceptions. 

Though, even through her taco filled bliss, she knew that everything was far from okay. Dad was at least eating his brunch, but mom sat quietly at her end of the table. She almost never looked away from Mae. 

This was something even tacos couldn't entirely cure, but the words were lost on her right now. The unexpected awkwardness of the table seem to have taken what little of a voice she had away. 

Thankfully, dad hadn't lost his. He stiffly cleared his throat and gave mom a glance. 

"Mae," he started, but mom cut him off before he barely even got her name out. 

"Mae, we're _worried,_ honey. I know you must be so sick of hearing that, but it's true. Last night was a doozy. This all must be so very hard for you, and we get that, but I have to admit-" now it was dad's turn to cut mom off. 

"We don't really know what to do anymore, kitten." 

That sinking feeling returned tenfold. Mae gently sat the remains of her taco back down onto her plate, eyes shifting nervously between her two parents. 

"W-Wait, wait, wait. Wh-What're you guys... ta-alking about??" 

"Your friends brought you home last night, Mae," dad explained. "You were out cold, and they didn't say much, but apparently while hanging out with them, you..." 

"You exploded, sweetheart!" Mom finished, her expressionless mask falling apart before Mae's eyes. Mom was barely holding back tears in her worry. "You were hissing and screaming like the Devil had gotten ahold of you!" 

'She's not wrong,' her inner voice piped in. Mae sank into her chair a little bit, her ears flat against her head in both her shock at the revelation, and her fear at what all she'd managed to do last night during her rage stupor.

Oh god... Oh god... Just _what_ had happened last night?! Did she hurt anyone?! Did she- did she _KILL_ someone?! 

Already her mind was jumping to conclusions. Had she hurt Angus?? Is that why he didn't message or text her or anything?! 

Oh god oh god this can't be happening...! 

'Calm down. You're acting hysterical.' 

_How else is she supposed to process this?!_

"Oh, honey! Honey, no! Ssshh..." 

"It'll be alright, kitten. You'll be alright." 

Mom and dad did their best to soothe Mae, cradling her in their warm embrace. She hugged them back fiercely, not even trying to hide the fact that she was sobbing. 

It hurt so bad, but she was so so confused and _so_ so scared. Why had she forgotten what had happened last night?? Did she have all the details? What did The Black Goat do to her? 

The mine. They were at the mine. They _had_ to have been. 

"Ssshh... Breathe, honey. Just breathe," mom cooed, petting her head as if she were some beautiful but fragile object. "You have an appointment with Dr. Hank this afternoon. He'll be able to help you out." 

That was something, but not really much of anything. The only useful thing Dr. Hank gave her was her journal. And even then it doesn't do a whole lot for her. 

"God will help us, too, honey. I'm praying to God right now, okay?" 

That just made everything worse. Mae held tight to her parents and cried.

She hiccuped and sobbed until it was too much for her already ruined throat to handle. Making it hurt until it couldn't hurt anymore was the only way to get any real comfort at the moment. 

The only way to get anything real out of the world anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not revise some chapters as the story goes along, but if I do I'll make sure to let you guys know- so be sure to always check the notes! Major things might change. 
> 
> Chapter 6 is on the way!


	6. The Clock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While pondering the meaning across the hell-bound lake  
> Every mistake is had in the heart of the fake 
> 
> Ticking away at each of us 'til we break  
> All the clock does is sit there and take

Mae sat rather awkwardly in the big comfy chair in that rather small room, staring at the clock and watching the time tick away. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Never ending time.

She figured if she could just keep staring at the clock and nothing else, this session would go by much faster and without incident. As much as she appreciated the help she was getting, nothing relating to Dr. Hank is considered 'help' in her book.

Well, just about anyone's book, really. 

Maybe she was being too harsh on the guy. He could be really great if you just wanted to go and vent a little bit without having to worry your close friends and family. He just wasn't too great when he was doing it for a living and offering you coping techniques that almost never work. 

And that was all fine and dandy- except it's really hard to vent when you destroyed your throat yelling at a goat demon who lives under a destroyed mine. 

Gregg kept asking her if she was alright the entire time she was over at the Snack Falcon. He kept offering her snacks and drinks. Mostly drinks, for her throat. She didn't take anything. Ever since brunch with her parents, she hasn't been able to stomach much of anything. 

Angus, naturally, had been much more reserved about last night. Rather than being hurt or dead, like she thought he'd have been, he just asked if she was okay and if he could do anything after work to help out- to which she replied with 'No, thank you'. He did, however, seem to perk up a bit when she mentioned that she had to go see Dr. Hank. 

Hank wasn't the best, but he was what they had. She knew he was just worried about her well-being like everyone else, and she didn't expect him to understand that there really _is_ a goat demon under the mine, but she would appreciate it if he stopped treating it like it was all just in her head. She _knows_ it's real. 

Bea really didn't say much of anything; which was never too good of a sign. Though, their relationship has gotten to the point again where very little words were needed. Bea was worrying herself sick over her, and that just made Mae worry herself sick over Bea. 

Bluh. This needs to end. And fast. 

But _how?_

"Mae, what brings you to my office today?" 

The question snapped her out of her clock-induced concentration. Flicking her ears cautiously, Mae only gave the person in the chair across from her a brief glance before returning her gaze to the clock. 

Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...

"Mae... Is something the matter?" 

She flattened her ears at that. 

Oh, no, nothing's the matter! Just wanted to drop by and say hi to my therapist for no good reason! 

'You're being pretty rude to Dr. Hank for no good reason'. 

He can't even hear what I'm thinking! 

'You can hear what you're thinking, and it's rude'. 

Oh shut it! You've been on my case for days and I'm sick of it! 

'Years, actually. This is your self-hatred and what little common sense you have talking'. 

_Well quit it!_

"... I understand that your parents had some extreme concerns they alerted me of before our usual session. They said that you've been acting rather strange. That you've been... screaming at nothing?" 

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock... 

"Is this true?"

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick. Tock. 

". . . W-Well," she finally rasped, having to cough in a futile attempt at clearing her throat, "I... I _g-guess._ " 

"Hmm. Certainly _sounds_ like you've been running your vocal chords ragged. That, or you've caught a bug going around," he remarked with the vaguest hint of humor. 

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. 

"Y-Yeah..." 

Mae watched out of the corner of her eye as Dr. Hank scribbled something down on his clipboard. 

"... How has Possum Springs been treating you since our last visit?" 

Oh, y'know, people she knew have gone missing and most likely will continue to go missing. She's been having vivid dreams and terrifying visions. No one she tries to talk to about it takes her seriously because they don't fully understand any of it. _She_ doesn't fully understand any of it.

The usual. 

"U-Um... I-It's been... good." 

"How good are we talking?"

"Uh... 'N-No shapes' good." 

"That _is_ good," Dr. Hank approved, pausing to write something else down.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. 

Mae gave the clock an irritable glance, not having fully realized that she had been staring at the therapist in front of her rather than it. 

She felt a cold bead of sweat practically soak her fur. With every tick of the clock she felt herself become more tense and jumpy. Every little thing was way too loud, way too fuzzy, way too... _real._

She didn't know what was happening to her. Maybe it was just her nerves? She's been jumping to conclusions a lot lately. Overreacting a bit more than she should, maybe.

Maybe even being a bit too touchy. _Too_ irritable. Too quick to judge. 

Taking some quick deep breaths to ease her mind, she fiddled with her own hands in her lap. She just had to calm down and think rationally. 

Like Angus would. Just think like Angus. 

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. 

". . . You seem rather tense, Mae. I don't feel like you're telling me the truth." 

". . ." She gave a not-so-subtle gulp, hoping it would help her feel less nervous about the situation.

It didn't do anything.

The way Dr. Hank was speaking made her feel like she was being interrogated rather than talking to a sweet old man. This all felt horribly... off.

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

'Or maybe it's just your overly active imagination'. 

Maybe. She doesn't doubt it. And it's not like she _wants_ to lie to Dr. Hank, but how exactly is she supposed to explain herself??

There's no way! 

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. 

"Mae...?" Dr. Hank urged, raising a brow like a disappointed parent when they knew you were lying to them about breaking the vase by the window. 

... N-Not that she knew what _that_ was like.

"... I-I... I guess I've j-just been r-really tired lately. R-Really... out of it."

"And you hoped that... screaming it all away would help to-"

"Make it go away," she finished with a nod. She wasn't necessarily lying at the moment, but for not fully telling the truth, Dr. Hank was getting everything pretty on the nose already. 

Dr. Hank nodded along with her, going right back to writing on that clipboard. She noticed his ears flick a little. 

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

God, that clock was getting really annoying when she wasn't zoning it out. How does Hank stand it? 

"... Would you like some water for your throat, Mae?" 

The question actually made her perk up a little. She hadn't been expecting it almost half-way through the session, but that doesn't mean it wasn't appreciated. 

"Y-Yeah, actually. C-Cold water? That sounds nice," she replied with a little smile. Shifting in her seat, she felt something move in her pocket- and she knew it wasn't her phone. 

Curiously, she reached down in and felt some loose change and... 

... Oh. 

Oh! The key! The brownie mix change! Riiiight. 

Mae pulled the key out of her pocket to inspect it once more just as Dr. Hank had pulled the bottle of water from the small fridge beside him. 

However, she never quite got that water. She hadn't been paying attention, but the moment she looked up again, Dr. Hank was cursing to himself because he'd somehow spilled it all over the carpeted floor. 

"O-Oh!" she squeaked at the sudden sight. Forcing herself not to cough, her ears twitched as she gave Dr. Hank a concerned look. "D-Dr. Hank? Y-You o-okay?? What happened?" 

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock. 

"O-Oh, don't worry about it, Mae. Just me and my clumsy old hands. Figured I'd be nice and open it up for you but I should have known I'd slip up," he explained, already reaching for another bottle from the fridge and trying to hand it to her.

"W-Won't you," she coughed, "n-need some help cleaning that-" 

"Oh no no, don't concern yourself with that, Mae, I insist," he cut her off, gently easing the cold bottle of water into her paws- white fur touching blue. "I'll work on cleaning it up when you leave.

"Speaking of," he added unexpectedly, "I'm so sorry to cut our session short, but I just remembered that I have someplace to be in about... ten minutes. I know it's unlike me, but I sure am being clumsy today, huh?" 

Mae took a rather uneasy sip from the bottle. The water felt like ice down her throat- soothing, but foreboding. 

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

"I-It's okay, Dr. Hank...? I-I think I talked about e-everything I wanted to." 'Even though it was very little,' she bit back. 

"Excellent," he responded a bit too quickly, flashing her a smile. Brown eyes met red for a few disconcerting moments as Mae tried to shake off the feeling of rising paranoia. 

Tick. 

She pocketed the key.

Tock. 

Dr. Hank recommended that she try to get more rest. He was terribly sorry about the short session, but he fully intended on having a proper one next week. They could figure out a better solution to her problems then.

Tick. 

Mae thanked him and rose from her chair. 

Tock. 

The room lurched- or did _she_ lurch? 

Tick. 

She gave one last glance to the clock on her way out. 

Frozen in place, she could have sworn that the clock was stuck at two o'clock. That's the time the appointment started, and she'd been there for at least half an hour. She _knew_ she had.

The clock hadn't even been working for the majority of the session. Had... Had she been... _imagining it..??_

Before she was able to get the answer to that question, the door was closed in her face, and she was left alone and bewildered in the hallway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A pretty short chapter, but a very important one nonetheless.
> 
> Edit: Howdy, guys! Sorry for chapter 7 taking so long, but it's almost done, now! It shouldn't take longer than a few more weeks at the most. 
> 
> I went back and revised the first chapter a bit. Minor things like toning down the swearing and adding exaggerations where they're needed, ect. 
> 
> If anyone ever wants to contact me, either to talk about my fic or NITW, or even just to chat and be my friend, you can find me on Tumblr at https://painful-prose.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thanks for being so patient and sticking with me!


	7. From a Bird's Eye View

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heights are the bane of one fallen from grace,  
> When they're only still plummeting just to try and save face.  
> But is the fall the fault of common flaw,  
> Or is the fall the will of someone's last straw?

The world down below looked so odd. When you're walking down the sidewalk on any average day, you really don't think about how impossibly small you are. People could be looking down at you from the sky or a tall building and wondering how your day was and you'd never even know. 

Like now. It went without saying that Mae needed a distraction. She needed something wholesome and mindless to take her mind off of her sore throat. Off of Dr. Hank. Off of Scriggins... Off of Selmers... Off of... 

Just. Everything.

The little cat had chosen to climb her way up to one of the taller buildings in Possum Springs so she could be truly alone. And, more importantly, make up fake lives about the people she sees walking by. 

It's the perfect plan. 

"Guhh..." she mumbled to herself, trying to deepen her voice without hurting it so it'd match this big guy waddling along down there, "gotta get home to my wiiiiffe... And listen to her talk about how greeeaaat _Eddie_ is...

"... Oh hi, Eddie." The big guy turned then to wave at some other dude. 

The moment was perfectly timed and made Mae snort. 

When the big guy, she's going to call him Tom, when Tom stopped talking to Eddie, he continued on his way down the sidewalk. This mysterious Tom didn't bother speaking, or even _looking,_ at anyone else after that. He just kept on waddling further and further away from his devious little god. 

The 'god' in question pouted a little as she saw Tom leave to where she couldn't be bothered to follow. Under her breath, she muttered: "At least I'm with Becky... Becky was the better ooopptioooonnn..." 

Little red eyes almost frantically darted around at the strangers beneath her feet, hoping for a new distraction to catch her attention. That hadn't been nearly as fun or as long as she'd hoped it would be. 

Paws tapping on the roof of the building and legs swaying rather impatiently, the devious little cat finally locked eyes on the perfect candidate: What looked to be a mom and her two kids just making their way downtown. 

Rubbing her hands together, Mae giggled to herself while trying to make up some kind of crazy scenario. Mulling it over for about three seconds, an excited smile crossed her features as she stood up and gazed down at the ants before her.

"'Kiiiiidss'," she whined in a high falsetto, "'we need to go to the stooorre and buy me some, what'dya call 'em? Uhhhhh....'" 

"'Tampons, Mom," Mae replied to herself in a more normal sounding voice that hurt her throat much less, "you need some tampons'."

"'Do I'?" 

"'That's what you said before we left the house'." Mae just decided to use the same voice for the other kid. No reason to strain her throat _that_ much. 

"'Ohhhhh yyyeeaahhh... Gotta get me some _taaaampooonnnnss_ because your _FATHER_ couldn't be _BOTHERED_ to loooovvee meeee!'" 

Geeze, this sounded a lot better in her head. Now she's just made this poor old lady borderline senile and lacking attention from her husband. How to fix that... 

". . . . Is this how God feels?" the little blue cat wondered aloud all of a sudden, bringing a paw up to her chin in her deep thought. 

Just. Staring down at everyone. Making their lives up as he goes. Some are planned out, some aren't. Sometimes things happen that you just can't stop. 

. . . Is she _God_ right now? 

Mae strolled along to the side of the roof, her brows furrowed in her concentration. Having been too distracted by this new thought to pay attention to her former distraction, she stared down at the alley below. For a brief moment, she could imagine herself being in her room, and staring out of the window once more. 

". . . What _is_ a god. . ?" she mumbled to herself. The breeze was picking up, blowing cool air through her fur and chilling her to the bone.

If one were to look up from the alley right now, they'd see a rather foreboding image: Two 'glowing' red eyes staring right back down at them, a cloud of malaise and malicious intent brewing behind the piercing gaze.

In reality, though, Mae was really just considering going back home and getting some more rest. Her throat hurt, and social interaction didn't seem too appealing right now, anyway.

Besides, not being able to answer her own philosophical questions sucked.

'But wait', chimed that little voice in her head. 'Wouldn't Beatrice know how to answer your questions?' 

BeeBee? Why would _she?_

'Beatrice is really smart'. 

Well, obviously, but- 

'Also she's all goth and stuff. It's a perfect fit'. 

_!!!_

'Goths. Know. Everything'. 

You're right, me!! You're absolutely right! Going to see Beatrice is a MUST, then!

Philosophical questions with one of your best friends is a wonderful pastime- enjoyed all over the world, she was sure!

Clapping her hands together excitedly at the prospect of being able to have a solid reason for going to see Bea outside of the obvious, Mae smiled to herself. Just thinking about Bea never failed to brighten her day. 

Though, even with this happy thought, her ears flicked before flattening a little; her mouth pulling into a tight line. 

Bea has a special place in her heart. Right there beside Gregg and Angus. There's no doubt that they have a happy little friend circle going on right now. It means a lot to her. 

But whenever she thinks about it, and she thinks about how great life has treated them for them all to be together at the same place at the same time, whenever she looks around herself, the world doesn't seem to agree. 

Looking out beyond the little street in the little town, Mae bit her lip as she drew her gaze out yonder. She could see trees out in the distance. Mountains beyond that. A vast blue sky enveloping all of it. Owning everything, yet never really bothering it. 

She pulled her arms up and wrapped them around herself, shivering at the sudden cold gust of wind.

Bittersweet. 

That's what this all is. 

Bittersweet. Bittersweet happiness. 

Everything is only temporary. That's one of the great, but scary, things about life anywhere. 

Spring is approaching quickly. Spring is her deadline. 

Spring is the end of the Possum Springs she's almost always known. Despite everything, it's the one thing that's stayed just about the same. 

Spring marks the end of getting up in the morning and being able to say: 'Hey! I wanna go say hi to Gregg and Angus! What're those rascals up to today?' 

They're going to keep in touch, of course, but it's not... 

The same.

She... has no idea how she's actually going to feel about all of this when it finally happens. That's the scary part.

'If you don't like the outcome, then why don't you stop thinking about it?' 

Mae allowed her near hopeless expression to turn into an aggravated one.

What logic does that make, exactly? It's still going to happen whether I think about it or not! 

'It _can't_ happen if you don't think about it.' 

She slowly shook her head, narrowing her eyes in her ever-growing frustration with herself. 

I don't follow. 

'Just- look: Stop thinking about it, and it'll hurt you less.' 

I don't think- 

Before Mae could even finish her thought with herself, she felt the urge to turn herself away from the wide open view. Instead, her gaze was now being directed at the alley below her, as if something had caught her eye. 

'Think _rationally_ for one second, why don't you?!' her mind chided. Mae's fur pricked with the rising anger in her little body. 

Anger that she didn't even know she _had._

'Gregg and Angus- they couldn't have made _nearly_ enough for a permanent settlement in Bright Harbor, okay? When they leave, they're going to miss you so much, Mae. You don't even know.' 

Mae shook her head yet again, _baffled_ as to where all this is coming from. 

You _ARE_ me! And what I'm saying doesn't make any sense! How would y- _I_ say that I 'don't even know'?! 

Know _WHAT?!_

The little cat took some deep breaths, cradling her head while trying to silence this nonsense. It's times like these where she thinks she's truly gone insane. 

With all the things she's seen and done, it was a wonder that it hadn't damaged her more than _this!_

'Deep breaths, Mae. Deep breaths'. Her inner voice sounded calmer than before, but that didn't ease the tension in her body or the fur that rippled along her back. 

' _We're not alone, Mae._ ' 

" _AH!_ " A sharp scream rang from Mae's throat. It felt like sandpaper, but it sounded like the desperation of someone about to be murdered. 

And that didn't seem too far from the truth, actually. 

The sudden whispered words had seemed less like her inner self and more like someone walking up to her and _breathing_ that horrifying phrase in her ears. It had sent her into a blind panic without any warning. 

And now? 

Well, now Mae Borowski was coming dangerously close to being a mess of blood and bones on the ground below. She hung precariously on the edge of the roof she'd just been standing on mere moments ago- having lost her balance somehow in her own self-induced fright. 

Her mouth ran dry and her skin felt like it was being pelted with ice every second. The scream from before had rendered her voice all but useless when it came to situations where you _had_ to be heard. 

She could hear a mixture of things, though. They all almost drowned out the rapid thumping of her heart. 

She could hear her own panicked breaths. She could hear people talking and some shouting out her name. She could hear passing cars. She could hear some birds chirping off in the distance. 

Heck, she could even hear what she thought was music. Somehow, somewhere, someone was playing music... 

" _MAE!_ " a voice squeaked. 

A rough blink was all that it took for Mae to snap out of her odd stupor. Almost instantly did she realize that her grip was quickly failing her. Flailing her little legs around, trying to get a hold of the side of the building, got her nothing. 

Looking up to where she'd just been, a dark silhouette blotted out the sun. 

And that's when she let go of the building.

 

At first, Mae couldn't figure out up from down or right from left. She felt all tingly and weird. It was like she'd only been _watching_ the terrifying ordeal rather than _living_ it.

Head ringing and her vision blurring, she had to squint up at the big blob of darkness staring down at her. She couldn't tell if she was grabbing onto it, or if it was grabbing onto her, but she felt vaguely thankful nonetheless.

It was all slowly coming back to her. Reality was becoming reality again. Those little legs of hers continued to kick and squirm, wanting to be able to touch solid ground. 

"Mae! O-Oh God, o-oh geeze," the blob moaned beneath their breath. "H-Hang on, o-okay?! I-I _won't_ l-let you fall!" 

"S-Sounds like a plan..." Mae muttered back, her voice barely above a whisper as she felt herself begin to be pulled back up. 

However, whoever this person was, it was obvious that they weren't strong enough to pull her back up on their own. She would have to help out someway, but how? 

Grunting with the effort, Mae scrabbled against the side of the building with her legs, trying desperately to get some kind of a foothold. She even reached up and grabbed onto the edge of the roof with her free hand to try and claw her way to her savior.

"W-We're almost th-there! O-Oh God..." The closer Mae got to her mystery friend, the more aspects of them she could notice. 

They were huffing and hyperventilating- rather heavily, actually. And for once, they even seemed to be shorter than her; which wasn't something she got the pleasure of seeing that often. 

Never once really taking her attention off of this nice stranger, Mae finally managed to drag herself back onto the roof, scraping her elbows and knees in the process. Throughout the buzzing numbness, something about this person was mesmerizing to her.

They both collapsed onto the hard surface without much of a word. The corners of Mae's world were going dark and fuzzy, and this person, whom she owed _so much_ to, still looked like a big black blob for the most part. 

Squinting, the longer she stared at this person, the more she could swear she knew them from somewhere. This sudden annoying puzzle had her glaring at the shaking hero before her. 

"O-Oh God- M- _Mae!_ M-Mae, o-oh geeze, a-are you okay, do you need m-me to call someone, a-are you-" 

Somewhere in the middle of the mumbling and stuttering did Mae's ears flick with recognition; her eyes lighting up with surprise. She sat up almost immediately, causing the world to tilt this way and that. 

"M-Mae!" the figure yelped, reaching out and grabbing gently onto the cat's shoulders. The trembling hands shook her to her very core. "M-Mae...?" 

"L-Lori...?" Mae croaked, her raw voice disbelieving yet relieved at the same time. 

"Mae, wh-what the _heck_ just ha-happened?!" the little high-schooler questioned through her nasally panicked breaths and gasps. "A-Are you okay?!" 

"I-I..." 

Mae brought a hand up to her head and stared down at the elevated ground they now sat on. Through the buzzing and the humming and the churning of everything up in her noggin, as well as the constant feeling of wanting to puke, she honestly couldn't say she _wasn't_ okay. 

But, again, she was _FAR_ from okay.

Would it be weird to say she was feeling 'neutral'? 

"I-I... don't really know," she replied honestly. She brought her mouth up to the sleeve of her shirt, wanting to keep anymore cold air rushing into her mouth and just making her throat sting worse. 

Tears pricking her eyes, she heard Lori get up from her position on the roof- the little mouse nervously fidgeting with her own fingers. 

There was a silence between the two of them for a while. Lori's face was pale. The poor girl looked like she was about to collapse at any minute. She'd even resorted to pacing around Mae rather than trying to strike up any conversation; which Mae was perfectly fine with. 

Aside from the mild clammer down below them, most likely from the small crowd they must have accumulated from her third or fourth near death stunt as of late, they were both left alone with their thoughts. 

Mae was still having a rather hard time believing what all that had just transpired these last few minutes. Lori wasn't the only one who was a mess of stress and nerves, oh no. 

The longer they stayed on the building, the longer Mae felt like something bad was going to happen. Maybe Lori would accidentally fall off of it. Maybe she'd be too late to save her. Maybe someone would climb up here and question them. 

Maybe someone would call the police. She didn't know. How _could_ she know? 

Ah, she's losing it... 

Shaking her head, Mae just gave up on thinking about the 'what ifs'. There were too many to count and too many to worry about. Right now, she had a concerned little kid on her hands, and some concerned friends and family to sift through. 

She shouldn't have even allowed herself to be alone with her thoughts in the first place. 

What had she been thinking? 

"... L-Lori...?" Mae began hoarsely. "H-How did you g-get over-" 

"I-I was hanging out over at my u-usual spot and I-I heard someone talking, a-and it sounded like you! S-So I figured I'd come over and say hi, but then I heard a scream and you fell and I thought you were going to die a-and-" As quickly as Lori had began her explanation, it ended with her trailing off and having to do some breathing exercises. 

But even so, Mae didn't even get a chance to talk. Lori just kept on going. 

"I-I thought _for sure_ I was gonna s-see someone die, a-and I didn't l-like it, a-and I was so _scared_ a-and- Oh God... I-I thought you were having an argument with that _guy_ down there a-and-" 

"W-Woah woah, _what?_ " Mae couldn't help but to intervene right then and there. Eyes wide and accusing, her full attention was now on this mysterious _guy_ that had been added to the equation. 

There was no _'guy'_. ... Was there...? 

"D-Down _where?_ L-Lori, wh-what're you-" 

"Mae!" 

That horrible commanding snap from the street sent a chill down Mae's spine, effectively stopping all further chatter between the friends. 

The familiar voice made her stomach churn. Ears flat and fur spiking, she ground her teeth and took as deep a breath as her throat would allow. 

She was so screwed. 

"Aw _heck._ " 

"I-Is that...?" 

Not bothering to answer Lori, Mae nervously turned around and peered down from the ledge of the roof. A hard rock settled in her stomach upon meeting her own red gaze glaring up at her. 

"... Aunt Mall Cop," Mae groaned beneath her breath. 

"Margaret Mae Borowski!" Aunt Molly urged, a tone to her normally dull voice. "Please come down from the roof. _Carefully._ " 

As if things couldn't get anymore worse... How did she even _get_ here so quickly?! 

'Gah... It's Aunt Molly. Don't question it'. 

I guess... 

"A-Am I in trouble, t-too..?" Lori felt the need to ask, looking down at the angry policewoman with her friend. Molly didn't seem to even bother giving Lori a glance. 

"Meyers, right? Lori Meyers? Come on down, but don't expect me to whip out my taser or anything. I just wanna talk to you both." 

'That's code for 'I heard you've been acting nutty lately and I'm here to vaguely scold you before driving you home and telling your parents to put you on house arrest' she's using. Do you _really_ wanna go down there?' 

What other choice do I have? Disobeying Aunt Molly is just gonna make everything worse! 

Sighing through her teeth, Mae had no other option but to comply and begin her climb down from the building with Lori. All she could hope for was that her parents wouldn't flip out _too_ badly at the news...

 

"L-Look, Aunt Molly, I-I really _can_ explain-" 

"I know you can, Mae. I know you can," Molly interrupted, staring straight ahead as she drove the little cat home. 

The back seat of the police car oddly felt like a second home to Mae. Having to be escorted back to her parents didn't even worry her nearly as much anymore. The only truly unsettling thing about the situation at hand was Aunt Mall Cop herself. 

It's _always_ Aunt Mall Cop. 

Not even five minutes after getting down from the building and trying countless times to get any kind of blame off of Lori did Aunt Molly just tell Mae to get in the car, and tell Lori to go home. 

Every time she'd tried to just get a single word out of her mouth, Molly either wouldn't hear it, or she flat out told her to be quiet.

Her distant creepy aunt was being extra distant and _extra_ creepy today.

The one thing that was making all of this worse was that she never even got to question Lori further about that mystery guy! It felt like every time Mae heard about or found something strange or concerning nowadays, she was never given any time to inspect it further. 

Everything might as well be out to get her still. Out to get all of them. 

She hasn't forgotten about Selmers. She's _never_ going to forget about Selmers. 

If the cult really _is_ back- if the demon under the mine really _is_ tormenting her...

Well... What then? What _now?_

They'd already checked out the mine. There was no way they would have been able to move all of that rubble, and there was really no reason to. If any of the cult members had survived that cave-in, then wouldn't they have just... returned to town? 

Staring at the back of Aunt Molly's head was enough to send countless thoughts and worries swirling into her mind, tightening her throat with the anxiety. 

It almost felt like she was sitting in a boat. Inside of her brain. When the boat swayed to the right, so did her emotions and thoughts. Her thoughts got all jumbled up from so suddenly being swayed to the left- if that made any sense.

The times where things stopped making sense; the times where she just stopped thinking rationally altogether. Those had to be when the boat sunk or flipped over, yeah? It always took her a while to get the boat flipped back over. 

But if that's the case, then just _what_ is making the boat toss and turn so violently? What is the water made out of? Where does it come from? 

'I think you're looking too deeply into this', she heard herself say, but she brushed it off.

There had to be something she was missing here... 

During the majority of the ride, something had been droning on and on in the background. Initially, Mae had just thought it was the passing of other cars along the road; or maybe even the car itself as it approached her destination. 

Flicking her ears and focusing her attention more on the outside world, however, had her filling with dread as she caught the last few words from Aunt Mall Cop. 

"-get that. There are dangerous people out there, Mae. I'm only doing this for your own good. You understand that, right?" 

"... Uhhh..." 

Cold sweat formed on Mae's forehead beneath her fur. Clawing at her jeans, her bit her lip and stared out of the window of the car, hoping she could clear her mind and make up a good response to what little she'd heard. 

It sounded like Molly had just dished out some kind of punishment. That was fine, right? She wasn't going to jail, so it couldn't be _that_ severe, right? 

Just don't say anything stupid... Don't say anything stupid and stop feeling bad for not paying attention. 

Don't say anything you'll regret, Mae. 

". . . Cool. Sounds great." 

"..." 

Silence fell upon the car as they pulled up to Mae's house. 

Forcing a tight smile onto her face, Mae begged for the sweet sweet embrace of death to free her from the horrible situation. 

Slowly, Aunt Molly turned in her seat and burned through Mae's skull with a single fiery pupil. 

"... You didn't hear anything I just said." 

Mae remained silent, not wanting to make even more of a fool of herself today. 

Aunt Molly gave a deep sigh and closed her eyes, gently shaking her head. 

"Okay, Mae... This is all getting out of hand. I heard about your little leap of faith the other night. Doesn't it seem a little bit... 'fishy' that you would attempt another stunt of a similar nature not even three whole days after something like that?" 

'Oh, she better not be insinuating what I think she's insinuating'. 

"Is it really so much of a stretch to believe that these morbid acts are a cry for help?" Molly continued, her ear twitching with what appeared to be mild... discomfort? It was honestly so hard to tell with this woman.

"I hear you, Mae. We all hear you loud and clear, and we're _here_ for you. You don't have to keep doing this. In fact- I _strongly urge_ you to STOP doing this. 

"I like you, Mae." 

The longer she let Molly talk, the more this sounded less like an intervention, and more like... well... _not_ an intervention. At the very least, it was the strangest intervention she's ever had.

"Whatever's been going on with you as of late is not worth all of this noise, I can guarantee you." 

Yeah... This was much less reassuring than it honestly should be... 

"Now, Mae, I'll be frank with you: I'm tired. Explaining all of this to your folks shouldn't be all that necessary- they have enough on their plates, don't they? So, all I'm gonna do is let you off with a strong warning. 

"Go inside. Talk to your parents. Tell them you love them. Get some rest. You're going to need it." 

Pressing herself against the seat of the car, Mae shakily reached for the door, never once taking her gaze off of Aunt Molly. 

This was making her feel like she was having one last conversation with someone signed up for Death Row. It was highly unnerving and honestly just made her want to crawl into bed and forget about all of this.

"O-Ooookaayy..." 

"And get something for your throat. You sound like death itself," her scary aunt added without any hesitation. 

Nodding along like an obedient little niece, Mae exited the car. Having to be that close to Aunt Mall Cop for a second longer would have driven her insane, she was sure. 

Standing on the sidewalk, she watched the police cruiser drive away. If she had to guess, it was only about six or seven in the afternoon, but the sun was already beginning to set. 

On such a cloudy, peaceful afternoon, Mae would normally be having a pleasant conversation with one of her friends. But instead, she was frozen outside and prickling with an overwhelming feeling of being watched. 

Was it just her imagination, or was everyone acting just a little bit... 'off' lately...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One of the longer chapters, and one I'm quite proud of! I have a feeling chapter 8 will take much longer to produce, but the series is still very much one of my main writing priorities! 
> 
> Feel like we could be friends, or you just really admire my work and wanna discuss NITW? Hit me up on my Tumblr at https://painful-prose.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	8. If Only I Could Show You...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Memories are the key to controlling someone's heart,  
> Memories are the perfect recipe for tearing yourself apart 
> 
> If only you could see that,  
> But honestly,  
> Is it you, or me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of August 11, 2017, Never Ending Night has been put on slight hold due to other more important projects being worked on. It's far from being over or canceled, and I have full intentions to see this story through to the end. Thank you all for being so supportive of my hastily put together story, and I promise to put more work into the chapters in the future. 
> 
> I'm working on a book with a good friend of mine, and I'm seeing about a possible web-comic as well. On top of all of that, school will be starting up again in no time, and my depression has been eating away at me for a good long while now. I work when I can, but with everything going on, I'm sure you can understand the need to take care of more important things first. 
> 
> In other news, I'm also seeing about setting up a Patreon and opening both art and _writing commissions._ Writing commissions mean that you could pay me to take out the time to personally write you nearly anything you want- so long as it's reasonable and within my comfort zone. If I ever set up commissions of any kind, prices will be fully negotiable if they don't agree with your budget, and of course, examples of my most recent art and writing pieces will be shared so you know exactly what you're getting.  
>  The possibility of me setting up a Ko-fi is pretty high, as well, so I'd appreciate simple tips, even if you're not able to buy anything!
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read this out, and for understanding my situation. As for Never Ending Night at the moment, I will most likely be going back and revising chapters as I see fit, because the beginning was... _way_ too rushed and clunky for my liking, haha... 
> 
> Love you guys~! Be safe!

At first, she was just falling... 

Falling... 

Falling.

Aside from a little blue cat, glowing like a beacon out in the darkness, that's all there was: Darkness.

The cat pulsed steadily. Like a heartbeat, she descended into the crushing bleak waves. Luminous and otherworldly, she drifted. She floated. 

She fell. 

The quote "Life imitates art" came to her mind. So if this isn't art, is this life? But if this isn't life, then is it death? 

Eyes closed and breathing steady, the mysterious little being shook her head.

No, this isn't life, death, or art, is it? However, just like in life, she could find herself falling. Probably not off of a building or out of a window this time, but still. 

She was falling. 

_'Thump, thump, thump'_ , went something in her ears. Steady. Calming. Always present. 

Was it _her_ heartbeat? 

_'Tick, tock, tick, tock'_ , went something resonating not _in_ her body, but _outside of it_ this time.

Was that just her imagination? 

It happened slowly. While awake, this strange little cat wouldn't have wasted any time to look around her surroundings. But dreams were meant to be peaceful. They're meant to recharge your body and your mind. If you just rush through them, then what's the point of even having them? 

Yes. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Two blazing red dots in a vast sea of her beautiful soft glow, and an overwhelming swarm of emptiness.

". . ." 

She didn't speak just yet. That didn't feel like something she wanted to do right now. 

She felt alone in this place. 

Looking from left to right, she noticed that little things kinda similar to bubbles appeared. They must have been stirred up by her harsh movements. 

Her limbs felt a little heavy. Her head swam with questions. Everything buzzed by much too quickly to describe. All she knew for certain was that this was a dream, and she was falling. 

For as long as she could remember, her dreams were never anything out of the ordinary. Heck, sometimes, she'd even be able to control them. 

What had Mom called them again? 'Lucid dreams'? She couldn't remember the exact definition of 'lucid dreams', but that sounded about right.

Yeah... She used to have just normal old dreams and a normal old life. Even back at college, things weren't as weird as this. 

Actually... did she even _have_ dreams during her time at the college? It's honestly very hard to remember- either because she really can't, or because she just doesn't want to. 

Though, maybe having to drug herself to get any sleep at all might have something to do with that, too. Who knows? Not her. 

Maybe that's for the best, anyway. The dreams that she's been having as of late haven't exactly been the most pleasant. They're all so memorable, but all for the wrong reasons. 

And _this_... 

_This_ is just boring. 

Kicking her legs feebly, Mae attempted to move around in this blank void she temporarily called home. Clawing and grasping at nothing in hopes of aiding her venture got her nothing. Trying to use her legs got her nothing.

It was all just nothing. 

Sighing heavily through her teeth, Mae just allowed her head to hang in this empty space. Maybe this is what she deserves, huh? Just... existing here, with no one around to care? 

She supposes it makes sense. After her little scene with Lori on the roof, she's kind of been a recluse. All of the thoughts swirling in her head, getting themselves all mixed up and making day to day life more confusing than it has any right to be.

It was just chaos. Thinking about Lori, and Steve, and- 

_And Selmers..._

She _swears_ that she hasn't forgotten about Selmers. She could _never_ forget about Selmers. It was just so hard to be able to _DO_ anything when she has no idea where to start!

Selmers can't be at the mine, right...? It's all blocked up. And even if she went back to check, she couldn't do it alone. But she can't bring her friends, either. 

Dragging them out to that mine in the first place had just driven the nail of paranoia further into all of them. Gregg was so _angry_ at the prospect of those sickos still being alive. Angus was just being his skeptical old self, but she could tell that even he was giving about the same reaction that Gregg did. 

And Bea... 

Bea was... on _her_ side... wasn't she...? 

Good ol' Bea... Mae couldn't help but to smile a little as she thought about her childhood bestie. 

They had gotten off to a bit of a rocky start when she came home from college. The initial resentment and bitterness from Bea had been one of the few things that were able to slap her awake. 

Coming home was like putting her inner anxieties and demons to rest. It was like falling into a calming stupor of sameness. Or, at least, it _felt_ like things were the same on some level. 

She _wanted_ them to be the same. 

Having to endure that coldness from Beatrice forced her to look at the bigger picture. If Bea hadn't have been so awful to her from the start, would she even be thinking about any of this right now? Would she still be in that stupor of sameness to some degree? 

Beatrice... She owes so much to Beatrice. 

Mae hadn't even realized that she was crying, practically sobbing, with that smile on her face. There was a reason she never thought about any of this when she was awake. Who said she had to keep pushing things away when she was asleep? 

Staring down at the nothingness before her, her vision blurred with the sparkling tears. Twinkling like stars, they too, fell down into the abyss.

Down...

Down...

Down. 

she could have watched it forever. But a hand on her shoulder took her by surprise. 

A frightened squeak erupted from her. Feeling the sudden white hot pit of dread fill her chest, Mae frantically tried to twist away from the creature in the inky blackness. It was like swimming, churning in water, and she was an awful swimmer.

"Mae," the voice spoke, sending chills down her spine. 

The thrashing came to a halt. Wide and alert eyes regained their focus. The soft glow of her own light looked like it had been suddenly enhanced. Illuminated. 

At first, she hadn't questioned it in her blind panic. A dream like this had to have some kind of a monster, right? Some kind of a heart-wrenching twist?

Much to her searing delight, though, there was no monster to be found. The air around her felt... _lighter_ , actually. Safer. Warmer. 

Mystified, Mae allowed her eyes to trail up along the familiar figure of her old best friend. So much was different in her dreams, but so much was kept the same, too. 

Dark blue eyes that sparkled with life, pale skin blooming with bright and vivid light... These were all things that she kind of wished she could see more of from Beatrice in real life. 

But this was Beatrice, nonetheless.

Like a nightmare suddenly turned into a heavenly daydream, Mae found herself reaching her hands out to try and immediately take hold of her newfound life-line. She could feel her heart thudding in her chest; it felt like a caged hummingbird, flapping its wings frantically to try and escape its prison. 

The sensation was like none other. Dream Beatrice's hands fit perfectly into hers. For a few precious moments, time seemed to stop. They were just... falling. In place. 

Together.

Mae felt something well up in her throat. It made it incredibly hard to swallow. Her own voice sounded foreign to her as she heard it for the very first time in this watery void. 

"B-Beatrice..." 

It sounded like something you'd hear from someone who's been deprived of something for so long. Her voice cracked- it was so weak. But the most important thing to note right now, was that it practically radiated with happiness.

Glistening tears springing to life in her eyes, Mae Borowski began to laugh for what felt like the first time in a long time. Just like relaxing inside your house on a rainy day and just staring out your window, watching the rain fall down, this felt... _right._

The way Beatrice was smiling at her. How _warm_ her hands were. How so very _safe_ Beatrice always made her feel. 

With BeeBee, just about anything was possible. It had to be. 

"Mae," Dream Beatrice whispered yet again. Her voice, for once, was devoid of that choking, rasping tone it always has due to her smoking habits. Clear and smooth. 

Healthy. This is how Beatrice should always be. 

Tightening her grip on her friend, Mae sniffed and shook her head. Before she knew it, she was pulling Beatrice in for a hug. She just needed the security. She needed to have someone else here with her. 

Dream Beatrice didn't hesitate to accept the embrace. Down, down, down they fell into the uncharted waters. For all she knew, it could have been either hours or minutes since she'd fallen asleep. Maybe even seconds. 

Eyes shut tight, she tried not to think about it. All she needed to do right now was focus on the beautiful woman in her grasp. Realize just how very thankful she is to have her friends for what has to be the millionth time in her life. 

Everything was as it should be. It was only when she opened her eyes again after a few minutes of bliss that she began to realize the changing scenery. 

The black void wasn't looking as much anymore. Instead, other luminous blue lights were making themselves known. Odd thin shapes they were, at first. Bits and pieces of _something._ Just, broken. Floating there right along with them.

Becoming curious, Mae pulled back from the hug a bit; just in time to feel her feet touch solid ground. 

"W-Woah!" she gasped, clinging onto Beatrice to help better steady herself. Beatrice grabbed onto her waist and held her close, calmly gazing at their new surroundings as if this was all just a casual walk in the park. 

Trying to ignore her rising temperature, Mae flicked her ears and hungrily looked about, eager for more information. Just what is she supposed to be doing here?

Soft golden hues blended together perfectly with the comforting blues and purples of the large structures before them. There were countless building-like objects that looked like they went on for miles. The, what she now knew as, building fragments levitated in the inky 'sky' like clouds, almost. 

They were standing on a dimly glowing gray surface- what she had to assume was a road. 

A tall elongated pole poked out of the ground, rising high above the both of their heads. Everything looked wonky and out of place. It reminded her of looking at yourself or an object through a fun-house mirror. 

Just like the houses, that shimmered with purples and blues, the poles went on forever. A darker gray than the street, they each carried one honey-colored light. They flickered and shifted with fire. 

Mae's eyes widened with awe at this mystical place her mind had conjured up. Funnily enough, it was like nothing she'd ever seen, but it looked exactly like home at the same time. 

Possum Springs has never looked so... beautiful. 

Her own messed up Wonderland. Where you fall out of the sky at random with one of your closest friends. 

"... Wh-What... What is this place?" she asked.

"Home," Beatrice responded without a second to spare. "What else does it look like?"

"I dunno. Something straight out of Heaven, more like it." 

Even for how wonderful Dream Beatrice is being, she still can't help but to feel rather odd when _Beatrice_ of all people is being so positive. She'd _never_ pay Possum Springs such a hearty complime- 

"Heh," Beatrice snorted. "Nah. Heaven wouldn't be this shitty. Come on." 

-okay yeah nevermind there it is.

She didn't say anything as this perfect yet not-so-perfect copy of her old bestie dragged her along through the town. They passed countless buildings, trash cans, cars, trees- all so wonderfully ordinary yet so extraordinarily pretty that it sometimes hurt Mae's eyes. 

She hadn't the foggiest idea of where Bea was taking her. Though, wherever it was, hopefully it'd be more populated than Possum Springs. They walked for what had to be at least five minutes, and not even once had she seen any signs of another living person. 

No sounds but their own ghostly footsteps on the barren streets. No twists or turns- just them and this one straight path that Bea was insisting on. 

More than once Mae had tried to tug against Bea's grip or ask her just _where_ they were going, but she didn't get any response. Bea was just too strong to say no to in this situation. 

". . ." 

Unease prickled Mae's fur the longer this all went on. Going so long with nothing changing and nothing being said was beginning to mentally wear her down. 

The utopia that was Possum Springs just a few minutes ago? Now it was leaning back into nightmare territory again. The buildings had lost their spectacle. The wondrous flames had lost their spark.

Everything just felt horribly foreboding to the little cat. She even found herself having to glance over her shoulder much more than once to make sure no horrible monster was chasing after them.

More than once she could have sworn she saw a shadowy figure always _just_ out of her line of sight. 

"... B-Bea," she warned, fear making her voice crack yet again.

Dream Bea's footsteps didn't falter. 

"B-Bea, I-I'm serious, I-I think someone's back there..." Mae tried again. 

Dream Bea picked up the pace. But not by much.

"B- _Beatrice!_ I-I don't like this anymore! I-I think I want to wake up now!" 

"No." 

Mae paused. The adrenaline coursing through her veins froze and became ice. It hung inside of her like lead, stopping her movements altogether and causing her to trip over herself. 

Bea helped to pick her up and forced her to keep moving, but now she was panting. Hyperventilating. 

No Beatrice anywhere would be able to calm the tidal wave of paranoia drowning her, now.

"You have to see it," Dream Beatrice spoke up again, rushed this time. "I'm making you see it." 

Mae would have gladly questioned whatever kind of notion had gotten itself into Bea's head. She would have done it without a second of consideration. Risking a glance over her shoulder one last time, the words were leaving her mouth when- 

_BANG!_

Time stood still again. 

But for _all_ the wrong reasons.

One moment she was holding onto Bea's hand for dear life, wondering if she should fight back or just let this happen, and the next, it was just... _gone._

It fell from Mae's grasp rather rudely and abruptly. An uncalled for exit in many ways, but she'd be lying if she said she didn't feel even the _tiniest slivers_ of relief. 

The relief was short-lived as Dream Bea's body crumpled to the ground.

Paw left outstretched, trying to grab onto nothing, her jaw fell open without her say-so. Her knees shook and her stomach did backflips as her sleeping mind tried to process what it'd just done. 

A train echoed from somewhere in the distance. A blood-chilling wail ripped through the air- just as uncalled for as the sudden collapse. 

She'd felt it. 

She'd felt it whiz by her ear.

 _She'd felt the bullet whiz right by, so why hadn't it hit HER, instead. . . ?_ Where had it even _COME_ from. . . ?!

It had taken her much longer than it should have to realize the horrific screams were coming from her. Thank god her throat didn't hurt in her dreams as much as it did in real life. 

Rubies clattered onto the lifeless gray street, adorning it with a much-needed splash of color. They poured out of Beatrice relentlessly, creating a red sea of their own.

All Mae could do was just stand there and watch this all unfold. Possum Springs was spinning. She felt light-headed. Running sounded _so_ much more appealing right now. 

Rather than giving in and letting her legs fold beneath her, she took her own advice seriously for once. 

Just like the bullet that had caused this Hell, she whizzed down the empty street. She _refused_ to look back. Looking back only meant trouble for her. She was sure of that now. 

She ran, and ran, and ran, and _ran._ It was the one thing she was good at in this effed up world of misery, so she was going to utilize it. 

Soon, Possum Springs was just a blur. Soon, the brutal murder was just a lost memory. Soon, she was falling again.

 

She'd woken up screaming. 

Or, at least, that's what Mom had said. 

"Screaming like a _banshee_ , honey! You had me scared half to _death!_ " 

Mom fussed over her for at least an hour- offering her hot tea with honey and throat lozenges. Anything to soothe the burning pain her dream had caused. 

"Y'know, you're doing an _awful lot_ of screaming your lungs out lately, honey. I know you keep telling me not to worry about it, but this has to be the last straw!" her mom had ranted. 

"If not the last one then it's getting pretty darn close to it!" 

After several more threats of having her appointments with Doctor Hank be much more frequent, Mom left to go to work, leaving Mae all alone in the house. 

Now, Mae sat on the kitchen counter, staring absently at the floor as she kicked her legs out back and forth. It helped her to think a little bit, and she was grateful for it. 

That dream... 

Whatever its business was, being that dark and disturbing... maybe it was just what she needed, oddly enough. 

She'd been thinking about it from the moment she woke up. It was impossible to get it out of her head, though she _desperately_ wanted to. Though her life is like one big amalgamation of one tragic event after another, that dream felt so... _real._

Dreaming something as traumatizing as _that_ was enough to be pretty much the same as actually living through it. She'd had to go on her laptop and re-read all of her and Bea's messages just to make sure absolutely none of it had been real in any way, shape, or form. 

It's just... ... She loves her friends. That's not a question. 

' _Then why have you been ignoring them for so long, lately. . . ?_ ' 

That question wasn't something that she was able to answer. Not fully, at least, and not at the moment. However, even though she couldn't answer it, she could sure as heck FIX it. 

Little baby steps. Baby steps are what she needs. Before she goes about setting up some kind of hangout with her friends, she'd have to collect her scattered thoughts. They deserve an explanation after barely seeing anything of her for nearly a week.

Sighing through her teeth (then immediately regretting it, ow), Mae pulled out her phone from her pocket. Tapping the screen, not even the smallest of smiles could stay off of her face at the picture that popped up. 

Her current lockscreen was that of a group selfie with her friends. Greg was making a stupid little face with his tounge sticking out. He looked like the biggest dork on the planet. 

Angus had decided to give the cutest smile he could muster- which, she should add, contained a _lot_ of cute. 

Bea had her head resting on top of hers. That same old bored expression told a completely different story when paired with that irresistible smirk. 

That dark place that she'd found herself in couldn't last for long. Her friends wouldn't let it. 

And now that she'd found that small slice of peace of mind she'd been looking for, it was time to get some lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaAAAAA I'M SO SORRY THIS IS SO VERY LATE AND SO VERY SHORT. I got unexpectedly sick for WEEKS while trying to work on the story, and I've only _just now_ been feeling better! 
> 
> Never Ending Night is not dead, I swear! Working on a project as big as this on your own while juggling other life stuff is no easy task, I can assure you! But I enjoy it nonetheless, and I'm so glad you all like it this much! 
> 
> If you ever want to contact me, my Tumblr is here- https://painful-prose.tumblr.com/
> 
> AND! If you're interested in chatting with me in real time directly, and if you want the chance to get sneak previews/see the writing process of Never Ending Night, then friend and message me on Discord requesting to be let into the server! I'm #9068, and my name at the time of posting this is 'B O D E'. But be warned- I change my screen name a lot on Discord. 
> 
> Have a great day/afternoon/night, ya'll~!


	9. We'll Make This Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A rainy day like any other   
> Four old friends, they've found each other   
> Brought together, though it's broken   
> With our pieces all set, will they spot the token? 
> 
> Let's play.

Though it's supposed to be settling into winter, it's raining. Maybe that might have been a downer to just about anyone else, but not Mae Borowski. If anything, it boosted the electrical feeling in the air. 

It supercharged it. 

Bouncing her leg up and down in her booth, Mae stared down at her phone in her lap. The Clik Clak might not have great cell service, (it doesn't actually have any) but that wouldn't stop her from sifting through older pictures of her and her friends. 

Smiling to herself, she thumbed through the digital keepsakes; snickering at a particular one of Gregg getting hit in the face with a frisbee. She remembered it like it was yesterday: She'd visited Gregg at the Snack Falcon, and one thing led to another, and before she knew it they were at the back of the store tossing a frisbee around that they'd found in the dumpster. 

It hit him square in the face at the EXACT right moment when Gregg threw it at a lamp post. Classic. Classic Gregg. 

Ooh! And the next one she came across was of Beatrice; smoking a cigarette and smirking at the camera. It had been a nice quiet night and the two of them were just hanging out. Like friends do. It was Mae who had gotten the bright idea to snap a shot. Bea didn't need much convincing- especially since it was an 'in the moment' kind of thing. 

She found herself looking at that picture more than any of the others she'd already happily scrolled through. The backdrop of a dark, slightly illuminated Possum Springs was a perfect contrast to the wisp of smoke leaving Bea's mouth. 

Something in Bea's gaze drew her in. It was the kind of look that you could lose yourself in. Heck, if she hadn't have been the one to take the picture, she could have sworn Bea was some kind of famous model. 

Mae wanted to stay there forever. The overhead repeated ' _pat, pat, pat_ ' of the rain added to the mesmerizing atmosphere. It easily lulled her into a sense of security- of comfort and calmness. Just letting her eyes trail the slim figure of her childhood bestie, the little blue cat practically sunk into her seat. 

It's been, what? A week or so since she's last seen any of her friends in person? That was changing, now. _God_ was she excited to see them again. Gregg and Angus and- 

"Bea," she purred out. Voice soft, a mere delicate thing. She still didn't want to risk hurting her already damaged throat at the moment. She's done enough screaming to last her a lifetime.

Picture after picture whizzed by on her screen, the next five or six of them being in succession of the first one. Beatrice's smirk turning into a grin. That grin turning into a smile. That smile turning into the cutest laugh she'd ever had the pleasure of hearing. The smoke gradually wafted up and drifted away, easily replaced just moments later in each shot. 

She could recall that night with fervor. An intense rush of avidity hit her out of the blue as she reminded herself, yet again, that she'd be fixing things between her and her friends again. 

They'd meet here, catch up, figure out a solid plan on the whole 'missing people' deal, and they'd just have... just have some solid reconciliation. That's all she's asking for. 

That's all she wants. 

Mae's done a lot of thinking these past few days. About everything that's happened. About the cult, about Scriggins, about Selmers, about Dr. Hank, about her parents, about Germ, about Lori, about her friends... 

About college. 

About _all of it._

_Everything._ As much as she possibly could. She wanted nothing to be left unchecked. Nothing to be left unconsidered. If she wants to ever have hope of getting her life together and saving her friends, (Steve kinda doesn't count, but oh well) then that's what she's going to have to do. 

And, even as she gazed down at a fun little selfie she took a while back with Angus, she knew that there were going to be some major changes. New day, new Mae. 

In her left pocket sat the mystery key, (which she's also been considering for a while now) and the appropriate change she was going to give to Gregg and Angus as thanks for the brownies. 

Yyyeeaaahhh, she borrowed a buck fifty from her parents to give to them on top of the coins she'd already collected, but it's better than nothing! And besides, she's been doing everything she could in her own time. Planning this meeting and making a checklist of things to do and mention in her head was _not_ easy. It's only fair to have them do their part to help her out, too. It's just what parents do. 

'Don't you think you're being a little too optimistic here, Mae?' the little demon called 'her subconscious' reminded her.

'Be real for a moment- do you _really_ think your friends are going to be up for yet ANOTHER dangerous outing with you? Or, more accurately, are _you_ willing to put them in that kind of danger again?' 

Making a sour face, Mae pocketed her phone and propped her elbows up on the table. Glaring at the front door to the Clik Clak. 

Waiting. 

But the voice was not deterred. 

'You ignore them for about a week, and the first thing you want to say to them is 'okay guys, what're we gonna do about the murder cult comprised of crazy old dads who we might know??' 

'Look. You're going about this the wrong way, and you know it. Listen to me- or. Yourself.' 

They're my _friends_ , and we were able to beat those guys once. We can do it again. And what're we SUPPOSED to do, anyway?! Just act like everything is okay?? 

Shaking her head, the little blue cat sat in her seat and remained adamant about her course of actions. Confident in herself and in her friends. 

'Not everything revolves around this _town_ , Mae,' she chided herself regardless. 'Just face it- if Casey didn't make it, then do you seriously think Selmers did?' 

Just like always, her stupid brain was twisting things; making her see the 'logic' that only ever got in the way of what's _important._ If she listened to her fears and insecurities 24/7, then nothing would ever get done. 

Though, lately, it's been... _so much worse than usual._ Sometimes, these thoughts don't even really feel like her own.. That, or they're too moronic for her to want to actually pay attention to them.

Is that normal?? 

Is this.. 

_Normal???_

Sweat accumulating under her fur, Mae dug her claws into her own head without thinking. Sharp points not piercing the skin, but they would if she wasn't careful. The rain outside, calming just a few seconds ago, was now playing its own tune. One that Mae hadn't approved of in her schedule. 

It's a familiar tune, actually... 

No.. Wait.. Is that... 

_Is that music?_

And in one large rush of adrenaline, Mae's eyes snapped open- manic and vibrant in the cozy scenery. Ears pulled back and feet now squarely on the ground, she slammed her hands onto the table at just the same moment as the door opening. Her teeth were bared into a fearsome grimace.

A grimace that was replaced with a confused frown as everything washed away. 

The music was gone. She didn't feel afraid anymore. She was back in the Clik Clak in her booth by herself; _truly_ by herself. And the rain had gone back to being rain. 

A sharp bark of a voice was what brought her sanity back to her. 

" _MAE'S BACK!!_ " 

 

Euphoria, and a sweet burst of it. That was all Mae could feel as Greggory hopped into the place beside her and threw his arm over her shoulder. His smile might as well have been the sun's brother, coming to take its place on this damp cloudy day. 

Every ounce of that dread that had settled itself deep in her gut was washed away so _easily_ that Mae had to wonder where it had even come from in the first place. But, of course, she couldn't wonder for long. Gregg was giving her a rough noogie.

" _Mae's back Mae's back Mae's baaaack~!_ " he chanted like a mantra, absolutely NOT holding back in showing his affection for this cat. 

A laugh bubbled up into her throat and escaped its confines before she could stop it. A laugh that was cut short by a painful hack that stung and brought tears to her eyes. 

Immediately she could then feel Gregg being tugged away by another hand. The gleam of the person's glasses in the low lighting caught her attention first. 

"Not so rough, hun." 

"But Aaaaanngguuussss..." 

"No 'buts'. You'll hurt Mae." 

Quickly Mae brought a hand up, fingers splayed in a cautionary motion to stop any argument from breaking out so soon. 

"N-No, guys, I'm okay- really." 

"You sure? You sound like you swallowed a frog," another voice added to the mix. Sliding into the booth on the other side of the table, Bea absently put out a cigarette while giving her a cautious stare. 

"Speak for yourself!" Gregg shot back. Stealing Mae's line and delivering it wonderfully. In typical Gregg fashion, a hand was brought down onto the table in playful anger. 

"When're you gonna finally quit that shit, Bea??? Soon we won't be able to understand you, I swear!! _You'll have to start miming!!!_ " 

"Like a creep," Mae joined in with a bit of effort. 

"Like a TOTAL freakshow!!" Greggory ended, laughing at Beatrice's unamused expression. She rolled her eyes but ultimately threw her own grin their way. 

"I'll quit when you learn to mind your own damn business." 

"Soooo... 'never', then?" Angus piped up, using a hand to cover his cute little smile. Gregg only responded with an affectionate nudge in the side. 

"Yeah, pretty much. But hey, listen, we didn't come here to talk about my health." 

The light atmosphere didn't leave, but as Bea re-directed her attention to Mae, Mae felt herself lean back into her seat a bit. It was a silent cue- two more pairs of eyes found their way to her in time. 

" _Right_ , Mae?" 

She flashed BeeBee an anxious smile. Hands obscured below the table, she watched as Angus took his seat beside her bestie and she fidgeted by picking at the seat of the booth. 

"R-Right.. yeah.. I-I, um..." Mae paused a moment to swallow some built up saliva. 

"I-I wanted to apologize to you guys... Thank you _so_ much for coming out here, though- I-I know you're all pretty busy, but-" 

"You're acting like we had a choice!!" Greggory interrupted her. "When your best friend asks you to go to a shitty diner and talk about life, then you do it!!!"

"Gregg's right," Beatrice confirmed, "but we're letting Mae talk right now." 

Gregg witheld any other comments he wanted to make (and oh he certainly wanted to make them) with a small pout. He was paying attention to Mae, though; perhaps more than anyone else. It's not his fault that he was overly excitable, this Mae knew. 

"I... I-I know I've been a jerk lately, a-and I've been acting like a mental patient... Th-This stuff is just.. REALLY hard to deal with, and I just wanted to... 

"That's why I wanted you guys here. We need to deal with the You-Know-What, and I needed to tell you guys what's been up with me." 

No one dared to interrupt Mae. They all simply leaned in, eyes wide and understanding written all over their faces. 

"I.." Mae looked off to the side for a moment, trying to recollect her thoughts. "I-I don't entirely _know_ what's going on with my head, guys... I-I'm scared. I'm really scared. 

"I don't know what's happening, and I dunno what's _going_ to happen. But what I **do** know is that I can't just.. hide away and expect everything to be okay. We need a plan, and I need to get to the point before I lose my voice entirely." 

" _KKHHF_ \- AHA HA HA!" 

She knew that'd get a laugh out of Gregg. 

Digging around in her pocket for a moment, Mae hastily pulled out the slightly crumpled bill and placed it onto the table; that along with the coins she'd scrounged up. They all made little metallic sounds as they hit the surface, and she wasted no time pushing the currency towards Angus. 

However, what she hadn't noticed before she went along with her action, was that the mystery key fell into the mixture unintentionally. 

Angus gave the money a confused stare for a couple of seconds. Hand reaching out and hovering over the key, Bea recognized it at once and snatched it away before he could. That didn't quell his confusion, though. It only escalated as the two boyfriends shared unsure glances. 

"It's a thank you for the brownies you made her or something," Beatrice was quick to explain while heavily inspecting the old rusted key. "At least, that'd be my guess." 

Not wanting to use her voice for anything not too terribly important, Mae nodded happily in her bestie's direction.

"Oh, Mae," Angus began, "you didn't have to go and do that. You know I enjoy baking." 

"Yeah, duder! I mean, that's super nice of you, but like-" 

"She's not gonna take no for an answer, guys. Just take it before she gets upset." 

Yet again, Mae approved of Bea's words. She simply crossed her arms and stared at the two lovers, waiting patiently for one of them to accept the gift. 

Sighing a bit, Angus counted up the money and smoothed out the dollar before placing it all into his wallet. A little "Thank you, Mae" was good enough for her. 

"What's that???" Greggory then questioned, leaning forward and pointing a finger to the key that Bea had still been looking over. 

"That's something else I kinda wanted to talk about," Mae responded, making grabby motions towards the mystery key. 

"Germ threw it at us while we were at the Food Donkey," Beatrice explained for her, setting it onto the table and sliding it over to the cat. "Did you figure out what it's supposed to unlock, Mae?" 

"No. I've been trying all over, but I've had no luck." 

"Did you try at the Food Donkey?" Angus suggested. 

"Of course, but I didn't even find anything that was still locked." 

"Why were you at the Food Donkey???" Gregg interjected. To that, Bea just gave a shrug, and Mae didn't bother to answer. She'd still been considering the fact that _maybe_ , just maybe, she actually HAD missed something at the Food Donkey, and that the answer to the mystery key mystery had been staring her in the face this whole time. 

"Maybe try to stay focused, hun."

Angus's words had been directed towards Gregg, but they were like a slap in the face for Mae. Ears perking up, she returned her attention to her friend sitting beside her. Like she should have done from the beginning. 

"I AM focused!! It's a genuine question!!! If I was missing something illegal, I wanna know!!" 

"We weren't doing anything illegal," Bea snapped at once.

"And whatever it's for," Mae added quietly, "we'll figure it out eventually. But for right now..." Trailing off to allow herself some time to think, she stuffed the key back into her pocket and did just that. 

Tension was rising, ever so steadily. Everyone exchanged furtive glances, either wanting to say something and not knowing what, or unsure of why Mae had stopped talking. Someone had to break the silence in her absence, and so Gregg took it upon himself. 

"... We need to figure out what we're gonna do about everything, huh..?" 

"I would think so. We've wasted a lot of time already, really." 

"We're lucky nothing else happened," Beatrice reaffirmed with Angus. 

"As far as we know," he made sure to confirm. 

"As far as we _know_ , those creeps are back at it again with their bullshit!" Gregg again took it upon himself to be the leading voice of action. 

"And when they go back on their bullshit, _so do we!!_ It's obvious, you guys! We just gotta keep a better eye out from now on. We can do that, right?? And when they decide to be assholes again, we just stick to the shadows like badass ninjas and whoop their butts!!" 

By now, everyone is staring at Greggory like he's been speaking a different language this entire time. Of course, it was dawning on Mae just now that maybe the Clik Clak wasn't the best place to be discussing the cult. Just like her, she'd taken everything into account, but none of the smaller things that _actually_ matter. 

To anyone working at the diner overhearing their conversation, they might as well just be older teenagers talking about mental health and gang violence, for all they know. 

Which... isn't too far off. 

"C'mon, guys..! It's the best bet we have!! We already tried going and looking for them, and that didn't work." 

"It's not that, hun. It's just-" 

"-that I don't think we're paying attention to the important shit," Bea finished for Angus. Tilting her head towards Mae, the others soon caught on. And peace was restored, for the moment. 

"Mae, you've been scaring the hell out of us for days, now. I know you're probably worried sick about You-Know-What; we all are. But we need to prioritize. We didn't agree to meet up here for that mess. 

"We're here for _you._ It's good to have you back, and if we can all just get our acts together and quit freaking out, I think everything might have a chance of being fine." 

And with that, Beatrice reached across the table and put her hand on Mae's shoulder. Angus followed suit, and Greggory of course followed. 

"You aren't alone in this, duder. We're all confused and afraid, and you miiiiight be going a little bit crazy. That's why WE'RE here! To smack some sense into you!!" 

"Promise us that you're not gonna run off and try to deal with this shit yourself again, okay? It gets really annoying having to run after you all the time." 

BeeBee's words were what snapped Mae out of her stupor. Alright. Her 'plan' for what they were going to discuss kind of fell apart and turned into something entirely different. And yet, it was exactly what she wanted. None of them knew what they were doing, admittedly, but sometimes you don't need a well thought-out plan. 

You just need to know that you're not alone. Maybe that's the true reason why she'd wanted to meet somewhere homey and not somewhere more secluded. Somewhere more safe to discuss something so dangerous. Maybe she hadn't screwed up... 

Maybe this was the right thing to do. 

"Y-Yeah... I..." 

Even if Beatrice's reassurances weren't 100% heartfelt on her part, they were music to Mae's ears. Having all of her friends here just made her eyes water for a reason aside from pain. It made her feel raw and clean for some reason. Like she truly had become a new person with a new path ahead of her.

"I promise."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaand with an eight month hiatus, Never Ending Night is BACK!! After Chapter 9, the story begins to actually kick off, and I'm so excited to finally begin getting to the good stuff!   
> Life has been kicking my butt, and honestly, I'm really lucky to even still be here at this point, haha... But I love each and every one of you, and thank you SO MUCH for sticking with me for so long..! 
> 
> My Discord number is 9068   
> My Tumblr is https://painful-prose.tumblr.com/


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